Prof. Daoud Mustafa: Edifice Of Neurological Medicine In Sudan
28 February, 2021
KHARTOUM (Sudanow) — For generations now, whenever the word medicine is mentioned, the name of Dr. Daoud Mustafa Khalid would readily crop up. And whenever one happens to visit the Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, or the Khartoum Teaching Hospital and its branch the Alsh’ab (People’s) Hospital, one would hear mention of Prof. Daoud Mustafa or see a Faculty facility that carries his name or come across a lecturer whom Prof. Daoud had trained or was trained by some of Prof. Daoud’s hundreds of disciples.
Prof. Daoud’s noble soul seems to hover over these places and also over many of the hospitals and clinics around the country.
Many consider him the father of modern medicine in Sudan. But, in addition, he was the first Sudanese to acquire the title of Professor Emeritus in medicine.
Dr. Daoud Mustafa Khalid was born in Tuti Island that faces the Confluence of the White and Blue Niles here in 1917 and died in 2008.
He graduated from the Gordon Memorial College and joined the Kitchener Medical School here where he obtained the certificate of internal medicine and surgery in 1940.
As a general practitioner, he served for ten years in many parts of the Sudan after which he was dispatched for specialized medical studies in Britain in 1950.
Upon return from his scholarship, he was appointed lecturer of internal medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, then head section of the general internal medicine in the Faculty. He was promoted Professor of internal medicine in 1963.
In 1967 he was elected member of the Royal Medical College in London.
In 1974 he was promoted Dean Faculty of Medicine, then deputy Vice Chancellor of the University of Khartoum.
Prof. Daoud had the tribute of having founded the neurology section in the Alsha’ab’s (People’s) Hospital here.
“Prof. Daoud is a library that walks on two feet through his limitless knowledge about the developments in medical sciences and their many branches,” once wrote Dr. Taha.
Ba’ashar, a pioneer in psychiatry and former Minister of Health.
Recalls Mr. Ameer Alsh’arani about him in the Alra’i Alaam (Public Opinion) Newspaper:
“As a wise physician should always do, Prof. Daoud was always keen to examine the patients with his own hands before sending them for laboratory tests. Here we remember that he was one day called to look into the emergency case of the then founder and general manager of the Sudan News Agency, the late Abdelkareem Almahdi.
Prof. Daoud eyed the case, physically examined the patient (felt the pulse, the heart and the head with his bare hands), to conclude and write that Mr. Mahdi was suffering cerebral bleeding. Out of fear for the patient’s life, the man’s family thought it necessary to rush him to Switzerland for medication. There an examination with the state of the art in medical technology confirmed the diagnosis given by Prof. Daoud.”
Writing in the same publication and in the same connection, Mr. Mohammad Saeed Mohammad Alhassan said that the Swiss Doctor following Mahdi’s case wrote a letter commending Prof. Daoud’s report and hoping for the exchange of expertise between the two of them.
What Fellow Doctors Say:
Prof. Daoud was particularly fascinated with neurology and tropical medicine.
Fellow doctor Mohamed Nagib Abdalla, wrote the following to illustrate Professor Daoud’s passion for tropical medicine: “He used to see patients with tropical splenomegaly. He used to measure intrasplenic pressure with a saline manometer, then to inject dye into the spleen (splenoportograhy) to outline the portal system. He published three papers from this work. However, he was particularly interested in neurology, and he passed that passion to several younger colleagues who became preeminent in this field.
Dr Nagib continues saying: “His neurological practice was first limited to Ward A1 and B1 in The Khartoum Teaching Hospital but later he was given more beds in The Sha’ab Teaching Hospital (Ward 5 and part of Ward 9). He used to run the well-known Sunday neurology clinic at the Sha’ab Teaching Hospital where he used to see patients from all over the country from about 8:00 AM to about 4:00 PM. He used to see his patients in the ward every day, including Fridays and official vacations. His grand round on Wednesday was well-known to all doctors. It usually starts at about 8 AM and ends about 2 PM. ...”His methodical techniques in clinical diagnosis of neurological diseases were second to none. Dr Nagib continues: “He used to see all forms of neurological diseases and the diagnosis at that time was mainly on clinical grounds. The only investigations available at that time were plain X-Ray, lumber puncture and myelography. His clinical sense was great. He used to diagnose subdural haematomas on clinical grounds and ask the surgeon to do burr holes and he was always right. Patients diagnosed as having intracerebral tumours were sent to the late professor Benhawi in Egypt. Professor Benhawi published a paper from these patients sent to him with title “Giant Neurologist of Sudan.”
Dr Nagib continues: “Professor Daoud was much interested in teaching. He used to run a weekly neurological session for 6th year medical students for decades. In these sessions students were taught how to conduct neurological examination and how to interpret the physical signs and how to give a logical differential diagnosis. This gave students from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum, the privilege of being good in neurology.
Professor Daoud was in the ward every day, teaching students or conducting staff rounds. Only on Tuesdays would he be most of the time away from the ward tending to his patients in the Referred Clinic in the Outpatient Department.”
Prof. Daoud’s outstanding educational career included prizes of anatomy, physiology, pathology, medicine, and surgery.
He was well known for his responsibility towards all his patients without any discrimination.
He was universally accepted as a leader, and was an honored and well respected physician.
Awards:
· Prizes of anatomy, physiology pathology, medicine, and surgery at Kitchener School of Medicine (1936 - 1941).
· Honorary Doctorate in Sciences by the University of Khartoum (1988).
· Elgomhoria (The Republic) medal (1978).
· El Nilein (The Two Niles) medal (1989).
· El Injaz (Achievement) Star medal (1990).
· “Martyr Elzubeir Mohamed Salih Prize” for distinguished and excellent scientific achievements (2001).
· Medal of Sciences and Arts, First Class, from the Arab Republic of Egypt (1983).
· Honorary Doctorate in Sciences by University of al-Jazirah (Sudan) (1998).
Eponymous:
· Daoud Mustafa Hall (Faculty of Medicine, University of Khartoum).
· Daoud Research Group (founded by Professor Abbashar Hussein).
· Daoud Mustafa Hall (Tuti Island's Family Health Medical Center).
· Daoud Mustafa Khalid Ward (Omdurman Teaching Hospital).
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