No such hospital exists today in Cairo as that which was built
by al-Mansur Gilafun in 1283. The description of it by Makrizi, quoted
by Neuburger,(16) reads like that of a twentieth century institution
with hospital units.
(16) "I have founded this institution for my equals and for those
beneath me, it is intended for rulers and subjects, for soldiers and for
the emir, for great and small, freemen and slaves, men and women."
"He ordered medicaments, physicians and everything else that could
be required by anyone in any form of sickness; placed male and female
attendants at the disposal of the patients, determined their pay,
provided beds for patients and supplied them with every kind of covering
that could be required in any complaint. Every class of patient was
accorded separate accommodation: the four halls of the hospital were
set apart for those with fever and similar complaints; one part of the
building was reserved for eye-patients, one for the wounded, one for
those suffering from diarrhoea, one for women; a room for convalescents
was divided into two parts, one for men and one for women. Water was
laid on to all these departments. One room was set apart for cooking
food, preparing medicine and cooking syrups, another for the compounding
of confections, balsams, eye-salves, etc.
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