Aboutorab Naficy

Naficy was born in 1914 in the small village of Pudeh (today's Puyan Shahr) near Isfahan, and he died in November 2007 in Isfahan. Generations of his ancestors were physicians or physician-scholars.

Naficy attended a screening of the film Behind the Doctor in Isfahan on 17 March 1944.[1] The film was about the diagnosis of diphtheria and ended with a question and answer period afterwards. Through such methods, surgical techniques were promulgated through Iran.[2]

Naficy describes his life in his memoir:

“I went through elementary school in three and a half years (instead of the normal six years); I graduated from Saadi High School in 1930, and from Tehran University’s School of Medicine, in 1936. During my medical school years, I was consistently at the top of my class, where I received the highest Medal of Science. After completing my military service in 1939, I supervised the operation of the Kazeruni Clinic in Isfahan. In 1946, I became Associate Professor of Botany at the Institute of Public Health, and in 1948 I became Professor of Clinical Medicine at both Institute of Public Health and Isfahan University’s Medical School where I also served as Director of Internal Medicine Department. In 1952-53, I undertook Harvard University’s heart speciation postdoc courses. Thereafter I travelled extensively for research, including to England, France, Italy, Switzerland, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Cyprus, and Jordan. In 1963, I was honored with France’s Order of Public Health (Ordre de la Sante Publique). In that same year, I was appointed Dean of School of Medicine and Pharmacology at Isfahan University and Director of the Department of Internal and Children’s Medicine.” [3]

Naficy at 1971 Isfahan Medical School Commencement

Between the 1950s and the 1970s, he taught and published textbooks about modern medicine, while continuing his research into, and publications about, traditional medicine, herbal medicine, and Islamic medicine. For a time, he served as director of the Institute for the Study of Traditional Medicine at Isfahan University's School of Medicine. He retired from the university in 1981 and in 1990 was recognized as the Distinguished Permanent member of the Iranian Encyclopedia of Medical Sciences. He continued to see patients in his private clinic until he was eighty years old.

Naficy published 22 books in his lifetime as well as 80 articles. His books are listed below. All these books are written in Persian.

Grave of Abutorab Nafisi