Al Zubair Pasha [1831-1913] a medical report on health profile and cause of death

ABSTRACT

This article is a medical report about Zubair Pasha's final illness and the cause of his death. It also documents how medical treatment was perceived and practiced in Sudan in the early years of the British rule at the turn of the twentieth century. Zubair Pasha was born in 1831 and died in 1913, almost hundred years ago. Zubair had dictated his life story to Naoum Shugair in Cairo in 1900. In that succinct account Zubair described how he strived to build a successful business kingdom that existed in Bahr Al Ghazal. He traded in ivory, ostrich feather, cattle, metals and all types of seeds; as a result he gained huge wealth and influence. Additionally he helped extend the Turkish rule to Darfour and the neighboring districts. Despite that Zubair was retained in Egypt for more nearly thirty years. He came back after the reconquest of Sudan and stayed at El Geili, his home town. Dr Squire who was the physician at Khartoum Civil Hospital was sent by the Governor General of Sudan to attend to Zubair who was seriously ill in Al Geili, his home town. This article includes the medical report of Dr Squire in 4/1/1913. The final cause of death was described in the report of Dr Andrew Balfour [Head of Welcome Laboratory in Khartoum] as heavy infection with quartan malaria parasite and both ring and crescent forms of malignant tertian parasites were found. Despite treatment with quinine Zubair died two days later