Jack Christopherson, and Modern Sudanese Medicine: a Re-Appraisal of a Biography

Sudan Medical Journal ثؾٌٍّٗ ثٌطذ١ٗ ثٌْٛهث١ٔٗ Sudan Med J 2017 April;53(2):33-38 Short Communication On the Centenary of bilharzia cure discovery at Khartoum Civil Hospital (1907-2017); Jack Christopherson, and modern Sudanese medicine: A re-appraisal of a biography Tarik Elhadd, MD FRCP FACE Endocrine Section, Department of Medicine, The National Diabetes & Endocrine Centre Alwakra Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha – Qatar & Adjunct Professor of Medicine Sudan International University, Khartoum, Sudan. عهي هبيص يئىيت اول عﻻج نًشض انبههبسسيب ) 1917 – 2017( دكتىس خبك كشيستىفشسٍ و انطب انحذيث في انسىداٌ. َقىش عهي سيشة راتيه دٌٚف١ٌْ ؽجًق ػذو ثٌى٠ٌُ ثٌٙو ِؤّْز فّو ثٌطذ١ز، ثٌوٚفز يهخص ٠ظجهفٙيث ثؼٌجَ ثٌيوٌٜ ثٌّت٠ٛز ٌقوط ؽذِٙ ُٟ فٟ صج٠ًل ثٌطخ ثٌقو٠ظ أﻻ ٛ٘ ثوضشجف أٚي ػمجً ؼٌﻻػ ٌِع ثٌذٍٙج١ًّج، ٌِوخ " ثﻻٔضّٟٔٛ١ صجًصج٠ًش "، ٚأٚي ثّضؼّجي ٌٗ فػ ٟٕذٌ ػ 10 فٟ ِْضشفٝ ثٌنٛؽٌَ ثٌٍّىٟ فٟ ثؼٌجَ ٚ ،1917 ٔشٌ ٔضجةؼ ىٌه ثﻻوضشجف فٚ ًٟلز ١ٍّػز فؾِ ٍٟز ثٌﻻْٔش ثٌذ٠ٌطج١ٔز ثٌضٟ وجٔش ٚ ﻻصَثي ِٓ ثؾٌّﻻس ث١ٍّؼٌز ثٌطذ١ز ثٌٌثةور ٚ ثٌٌفؼ١ز. ثﻻوضشجف وجْ عٌّر ٛٙؽه ١ٕؼِز لجَ دٙج ثٌووضؽ ًٛجن و٠ٌْضٛفٌّٓ، ٛ٘ٚ ِٓ ث١ػًٌٌ ثﻷٚي ٌﻷؽذجء ثٌذ٠ٌطج١١ٔٓ، ٚأٚي ِو٠ٌ ٌٍّظٍقز ثٌطذ١ز ثٌْٛهث١ٔز،ٚثٌضٟ ثٔشتش فٟ ثؼٌجَ 1904 فٟ ثؼٌش٠ٌز ثﻷٌٝٚ ثٌضٟ صٍش ثٌغَٚ ثﻻَٞ١ٍؾٔ ثٌّظٌْٛ ٌٞهثْ ثٌغًٛر ثٌّٙو٠ز. هوضًٛ و٠ٌْضٛفٌّٓ، ثٌيٚ ٌٞو فػ ٟجَ 1868 فٟ ِمجؼؽز ٛ٠ًوشج٠ٌ فٟ إؾٍٔضٌث، هًُ ثدضوث ًء فؽ ٟجؼِز وجِذٌهػ، عُ أوًّ هًثّز ثٌطخ، ٚصنػٌ ِٓ و١ٍز ؽخ ّجْ دجًعٛ١ٌِٛٛ ثٌضجدؼز ؾٌجؼِز ٌٕوْ فٟ ثؼٌجَ 1893. أصٝ و٠ٌْضٛفٌّٓ إٌٝ ثٌْٛهثْ فٟ ثؼٌجَ 1902 دظفضٗ عجؽ ٟٔذ١خ ِؤٟ دؼو ثٌغػ ٚ ،ًَّٚ فٟ وً ِٓ ثٌنٚ ،َٛؽٌ أَ هًِجْ فضٟ ثؼٌجَ 1919، ف١ٓ ػجه إٌٝ د٠ٌطج١ٔج. وجْ و٠ٌْضٛفٌّٓ ؽذ١ذجً ِجٌ٘ثً، ٚٔطجّجً دجػًجً ؽّغ د١ٓ ٍِىجس ثؾٌٌثؿ ثٌّض١َّ ٚ ثٌذجٟٕؽ ثٌقجىق ٚ ثٌذجفظ ثٌفطٓ، ٚثؼٌذمٌٞ ِضؼوه ثٌّٛث٘خ، ٚ ٔشٌ ِج ٠ٌدٍٝػ ٛ ص١ؼْٓ ٚ ١ٔف ِٓ ثﻷًٚثق ٚثٌذقٛط ثٌطذ١ز فٟ أ١َِ ثؾٌّﻻس ٚ ثٌو٠ًٚجس ثٌطذ١ز فٟ ثؼٌمٛه ثﻻًدؼز ثﻷٌٝٚ ِٓ ثٌمٌْ ثٌّٕظٌَ. صمجػو و٠ٌْضٛفٌّٓ فٟ ِٕضظف عﻻع١ٕ١جس ثٌمٌْ ثؼٌش٠ٌٓ فٟ ِٕضؼؾز "أدٛثح ثٌّْجء" فٟ ِمجؼؽز لٍّٛضش١ٌ فٟ ثؾٍٔضٌث فضٚ ٝفجصٗ ف21 ٟ ٛ١ٌٛ٠ 1955. ثٌمظز ثٌىجٍِز ٌيٌه ثﻻوضشجف ٚث١ٌٌْر ثٌيثص١ز ٌووضٛؽ ًْٛ دٌث٠جْ )ؽجن( و٠ٌْضٛفٌّٓ ٔشٌس لذً ّٕٛثس ػو٠ور ِٓ لذً ثٌىجصذز ثٌىٕو٠ز ٚثٌذ٠ٌطج١ٔز ثﻷطً ثْ وٌث٠ضْٛ ٘ج٠ًِ، ثٌضٟ ؼ٠ضذٌ و٠ٌْضٛفٌّٓ ؽ ٛ٘و٘ج ثﻻوذٌ. صضٕجٚي ٘يٖ ثًٌٛلز ٍِنظجً ١ٌٌْر هوضًٛ و٠ٌْضٛفٌّٓ، ثٌيٞ ؼُ٠ ُّو ِٓ أُ٘ ثٌشنظ١جس ثٌضٟ ثًّش هػجةُ ثٌطخ ٚ ثؾٌٌثفز فٟ ثٌْٛهثْ ثٌقو٠ظ. When Earth’s last picture is painted and the tubes are twisted and dried, When the oldest colours have faded, and the youngest critic has died, We shall rest, and, faith, we shall need it- lie down for an aeon or two Till the master of All Good Workmen shall put us to work anew And only the Master of shall praise us and only The Master shall blame And no one shall work for money and no one shall work for fame But each for the joy of the working, and each, in the separate star, Shall draw the Thing as he sees it for the God of Things as they are! Rudyard Kipling Summary A landmark feature of the Sudan Medical Dr Jack (John) Christopherson, goes the credit Department (1904−1923) was the historical of researching and then masterminding the contribution of its first director and one of the discovery of the first cure for Bilharziasis. first few civil doctors to work in Sudan. To Bilharzia, at the turn of the twentieth century ______________________________ was a major scourge and an ominous medical Corresponding author condition with no cure. The full story and the Tarik Elhadd biography of Jack Christopherson has been Email: [email protected] published some time ago by his great niece, Sudan Med J 2017 April;53(1) 33 Short Communication Bilharzia cure discovery Tarik Elhadd speculate. Christopherson himself had written upon-Tyne Grammar School, Clifton College, not a dissimilar report entitled ‗Description of Gonvile and later Caius College at Cambridge who spent long and painstaking years before completing his medical training at researching the footsteps of her great uncle, St Bartholomew Hospital in London. He and she managed to place him back on the graduated as MB ChB in 1893, and he then map of medical history. This article highlights held the post of house physician, house a fascinating saga of Sudan medical history. surgeon and anatomy demonstrator at Barts‘ To understand this period better, one has to before obtaining FRCS in 1897. Shortly know more than what was earlier known thereafter, he obtained an MA and MD from about John Brian Christopherson. He could Cambridge in 1898. Between years 1896 to well be the ‗Forefather of modern medicine in 1902 he was on the surgical staff of Albert the Sudan’. Much has surfaced out about Dock and Evelina Hospitals in London before John Brian Christopherson in recent years, joining the medical troops at the Imperial reappraisal of his role in the establishment of Yeomanry Base Hospital at Deelfontein modern medical services in the Sudan, his during the Boer War in 1902. In the same year pioneering discovery of cure to a dreaded he went to the Sudan, initially as private ailment, bilharziasis, and his great physician to the ‘ruling elite‘. Here there is contribution to tropical medicine at large. some confusion as to whom he was actually Christopherson, a brilliant physician and a appointed. Some records mention that he was very fine surgeon, did not get his well ‗Physician to the Governor General, Sir acclaimed and well deserved place in medical Reginald Wingate‘(5), while other sources state history and his acclaim for fame and that he came as private physician to Sir recognition, except very lately. His obituary in Rudolph Von Slatin Pasha, the Inspector the British Medical Journal in the July 30th General of Sudan. In this relationship, lies 1955 issue read: ‗Dr JB Christopherson, who some of ‘the boon and the bane‘ of died at his home at Lyden-on-Severn in July Christopherson. Rudolph von Slatin Pasha, an 21st, made some important contribution to the Austrian, who was in the service of the Turco- knowledge of tropical diseases…..‘(1). He was Egyptian Sudan Government before the described in another tribute by Sir Russell Mahdists uprising as Governor of Darfur from Brain in the Presidential Address of the Royal 1878, was later to be captive of Mahdi and a College of Physicians of London as ‗..a prisoner and confidante of his successor, versatile man who turned his mind into many Khalifa Abdullahi from 1884 till 1896. Slatin branches of medicine and served with played a decisive role in the Reconquest of the distinction in tropical medicine…‘(2). It was Sudan following his successful escape to intriguing that JBC was regarded as otherwise Cairo and was among the invading troops led by many of his fellow Britons who were his by Lord Kitchener. Following the defeat of his contemporaries in the Sudan. His early few old foes, the Mahdists, Slatin was appointed years were indeed happy and blissful, but Inspector General of Sudan Government. despite all his qualities, JBC was not a ‗man Christopherson was mentioned to have of politics‘, and as described by Ann become his physician, close friend and Crichton-Harris; ‘as a man who would rashly confidante. On the other hand, Rudolph Slatin speak out his mind‘(3). So, he would suffer was to be the saviour of Christopherson greatly. He was labeled by his administrative following his capture by the Austrians in British seniors, Sir Reginald Wingate, and Sir Serbia during the Great War. The life and time Peter Phipps ‗after a good spell of of Christopherson in the Sudan was to be full ‗honeymoon period‘, as a ‗trouble-maker‘ (4). of events, turmoil, personality clashes and John Brian Christopherson was born in sound medical achievements. He was to be a Batley, West Yorkshire in 1868, the son of foe and a friend to many of his native Britons, Cannon Brian Christopherson, Rector of both medical and non-medical. He was Falmouth. He was educated at Newcastle- labelled as ‗trouble maker‘ by some senior Sudan Med J 2017 April;53(1) 34 Short Communication Bilharzia cure discovery Tarik Elhadd officials like Sir P R Phipps, the private Christopherson had joined the service of secretary to the Governor General and at some Sudan Government. Balfour was to ‗reign point was assistant Civil Secretary. Sir supreme‘ in his own ‗Laboratory Kingdom‘, Reginald Wingate was also to write in a and despite that he was appointed as Medical private letter to Phipps expressing his wish for Officer of Health of Khartoum, he was ‗this troublesome doctor to pack up and go working completely independently, but not home‘(4). without tandem, from the rest of his other Christopherson Personality Clashes & medical colleagues. Little is known about the Professional Feuds: professional and the personal relationship The ‗*Appointment Blunder‘ & the Crispin between Balfour and Christopherson for the Affair full decade that lapsed thereafter, but from the There is certainly cloudy information limited information available was that during surrounding the establishment of Sudan the first few years, probably till 1906, their Medical Department in 1904, and the ensuing encounters was more cordial (4). Balfour made conflict and dispute of the appointment of its several comments in praise of first director. What filtered out was conflicting Christopherson‘s contribution to the stories of what described by Ann Crichton flourishing laboratories, and these comments Harris as ‗the appointment blunder’ of the were made in the First Wellcome Report first director of SMD(4). By 1904 Dr published in 1904(6), but not so in the Second Christopherson had been in the Sudan for over Report published in 1906(4). However, the last two years, and his star was rising.

Load more