// Workers AI · dad joke modeWho's Mohammad Kermanshahi? A shahi guy.
Mohammad Kermanshahi | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 1829 |
| Died | February 1908 (aged 78–79) Tehran, Qajar Iran |
Resting place | Ibn Babawayh Cemetery, Tehran |
| Alma mater | Sorbonne University |
| Occupations | physician, medical educator |
| Known for | Early introduction of bacteriology and anatomical dissection in Iran |
| Awards | Ordre des Palmes académiques |
Mohammad Kermanshahi[a] (c. 1829 – 1908) was an Iranian physician, surgeon, and medical educator active during the late Qajar period.[4][5] He was trained in both traditional Persian medicine and modern European medical science. The recipient of the Ordre des Palmes académiques, he played a central role in the pioneering of modern medical practices in Iran and was among the earliest Iranian physicians to receive formal medical training in France.[6][4]
Early life and education
[edit]Kermanshahi was born in July 1829 in Kermanshah, Iran to Pir Mohammad Zare, a merchant. He received his early education in his native city before moving to Najaf, where he received his religious education.[4] After returning to Kermanshah, he studied French. He later relocated to Tehran and enrolled at Dar al-Fonun, where he learned traditional medicine under Mirza Abd al-Baqi Etezad al-Atebba and studied European medicine under Joseph Désiré Tholozan, a French doctor to the court of Naser al-Din Shah. After completing his studies, he returned to Kermanshah to organize a quarantine facility for the region.[4]
In 1870, Kermanshahi went to Paris to pursue his further medical education. He later wrote in the introductory section of Amrāż al-aṭfāl (a work on pediatric diseases), he made his journey by selling a refrigerator inherited from his father along with carpets woven by his mother, as he lacked sufficient funds for the trip. He remained there for approximately nine years, studying several branches of medicine.[4] In 1879, he earned a medical diploma from Sorbonne University[7] after completing a doctoral thesis titled De La Valeur Diagnostique Du Bruit De Piaulement Dans L'endocardite Aigue.[4]
That following year, in 1880, he joined the French Society of Clinicians and received the academic distinction Ordre des Palmes Académiques.[4]
Career
[edit]After returning to Tehran in 1881, he was appointed as director of the governmental hospital (Marizhkaneh-e Dowlati, in modern-day Sina Hospital).[7] Following that he came into contact with Naser al-Din Shah through Aliqoli Mirza Qajar, who served as minister of Post and Telegraph.[4] He subsequently entered royal service as one of the physicians to the Shah's court. He was also appointed physician to the Ministry of Post and Telegraph, placed in charge of the state hospital in 1881,[4] and was subsequently appointed as professor at Dar al-Fonun.[7]
He also introduced laboratory instruments, including a microscope, and began teaching methods for examining microorganisms based on recent European scientific methods. He was the first medical instructor in Iran to demonstrate red blood cells (RBC) in classroom teaching. He became among the earliest Iranian bacteriologists.[4]
In 1887, he moved to Tabriz, where he served as physician to Hasan-Ali Khan Amir Nezam Garrusi, then serving as deputy of Azerbaijan. During this period, he trained several students,[4] including Mohammad Ali Tarbiat, an Iranian revolutionary and founder of the Tarbiat Library,[8] and Hassan Taqizadeh, who later wrote that he studied subjects such as anatomy, physiology, pathology, and physics under him.[4]
Views
[edit]Kermanshahi supported modern medicine and held views described by contemporary sources as socially and politically liberal.[4] He criticises authoritarian rule and beliefs he regarded as lacking rational or religious foundation. He promoted anatomical dissection as part of medical education. Assisted by Johannes L. Schlimmer, he carried out dissections that were considered controversial by some uncertain religious group. The practice, particularly involving abandoned bodies, provoked criticism from clerical circles that viewed such procedures as incompatible with accepted religious practice.[4]
His advocacy of European medicine created divisions among physicians. Support largely came from doctors trained abroad, while many practitioners of traditional medicine opposed both his methods and the introduction of imported medicines such as aspirin. Because some religious scholars considered his ideas unorthodox, he became known by the epithet Kofri, meaning "unbeliever". Growing opposition eventually led to the loss of his official positions by 1886, although he continued teaching students privately from his residence, where much of his teaching and research activity took place.[4]
Publications
[edit]In 1900, Kermanshahi wrote two medical publications addressing diphtheria. These included Resale dar Bayan-e Serom-e Qarabadini va Sayer-e Mayeaat-e Haywaniya-ye Qabel-e Tazriq, a work translated from French, and Elaj-e Diftiri, concerning the treatment of diphtheria that appeared the same year.[7]
His other publications include Amraz al-atfal concerning children's diseases, and Kuft Amraz-e Moqabarati concerning venereal diseases.[4] A work titled Zia al-Nazerin, published in Tehran in 1892, was at one time attributed to him incorrectly. The translation was actually prepared by Mohammad Khan Shaikh Ehya al-Molk. His unpublished writings addressed several subjects, including anatomy, pathology, chemistry, therapeutics, pharmacology, forensic medicine, hygiene, and obstetrics.[4]
He also translated Gil Blas, a work by Alain-René Lesage, into Persian; the translation was published in 1905.[4]
Death and legacy
[edit]Kermanshahi died in Tehran in February 1908 and was buried at Ibn Babawayh Cemetery.[4]
The government of Iran established the Dr. Mohammad Kermanshahi Hospital in Kermanshah, a specialized pediatric hospital named after him. Affiliated with the Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, the teaching hospital was officially inaugurated in 2011.[9]
Notes
[edit]- ↑ Persian: محمد کرمانشاهی, also referred to as Mohammad Kermanshahi "Kofri" (Persian: کفری; lit. 'unbeliever'), the term "Kofri" was reportedly applied to Mohammad Kermanshahi by opponents who considered his views to be religiously heterodox. It was not part of his name.[1][2] In Iran, he is referred to as Hakim Mohammad Kahn Kermanshahi "Kofri",[3] or Mirza Mohammad Kermanshahi.[2]
References
[edit]- ↑ "The Background of the Constitutional Movement in Azerbaijan". Middle East Journal. 14 (4). Middle East Institute: 456–465. 1960. ISSN 0026-3141. JSTOR 4323290. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- 1 2 "Seyyed Hassan Taqizadeh: a political biography". Scholarly Publications, University of Leiden. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ Doorn-Khosrovani, Sahar Barjesteh van Waalwijk van (2003). Qajar Era Health, Hygiene and Beauty. International Qajar Studies Association. p. 42. ISBN 978-90-5613-071-8. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Mahdavi, Shireen (2026-04-30). "KOFRI KERMĀNŠĀHI, MOḤAMMAD". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved 2026-06-20.
- ↑ Keshavarzian, Arang; Mirsepassi, Ali (2021-07-15). Global 1979: Geographies and Histories of the Iranian Revolution. Cambridge University Press. p. 341. ISBN 978-1-108-83907-5. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ "Dr. Mirza Mohammad Kermanshahi, one of the pioneers of modern Iranian medicine in the Qajar era and the author of the book Children's Disease (Amraz-e-Atfal)" (PDF). Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- 1 2 3 4 "History of Medicine in Iran". Archives of Iranian Medicine. Archived from the original on 2026-06-21. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ "مرکز پژوهشهای ایرانی و اسلامی". دائرةالمعارف بزرگ اسلامی (in Persian). 2019-09-29. Retrieved 2026-06-21.
- ↑ کرمانشاه, دانشگاه علوم پزشکی (2019-11-12). "تاریخچه" (in Persian). دانشگاه علوم پزشکی کرمانشاه. Retrieved 2026-06-21.