E-mail: raslanwf@aramco.com.sa

Wasim F. Raslan, MD, PhD
Editor

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Dear colleagues and friends:
Between the pervious issue of this newsletter and this issue, our region have witnessed major events that affected each one of us in one way or another. I wish that all the tragic events and the suffering would be over soon. I hope that, by advancing our scientific work, we can decrease the suffering of our people and build a prosperous future for our Arab Nation. One of the main decisions adopted by the Damascus meeting of AD/IAP was the establishment of the Arab School of Pathology.

The first session was held in Beirut last December, during which, the audience benefited from very interesting and useful classes in hematopathology. A Special appreciation should be made to the efforts and help of professors K. Henri, and A. Wetherspoon from the British Division, and professors G. Zaatari and J. Abdelaal from our division. We hope that the second session of the ASP, which is due to be held in Damascus by the end of 2003, will meet the same success.

Another major achievement of our Division was the annual meeting in Riyadh last year. Our Saudi colleagues enriched the meeting with seminars and lectures by many prominent scientific personalities from all over the world. I conclude by wishing our Arab Division, and you all, continuing success for the benefit of our Arab World.

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Dr. Ghazi Zaatari and the participants at the first workshop of the Arab School of Pathology at the Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at the American University of Beirut, December 9-13, 2002

The Arab School of Pathology is a "dream come true" for the Arab Division of the International Academy of Pathology. While the idea has been entertained earlier, Professor Kristin Henry formally proposed it to our Council in November 2000 during the annual scientific meeting in Dubai. Professor Henry is a member of the British Division of IAP and she has been a staunch supporter of our Division since its inception days.

Over the years, she has been a regular speaker on hematopathology at our meetings and has shared her vision about the School with several members of the Division. Her interest was to bring the British Division into a full partnership with the Arab Division to establish such school. The suggestion was to model this after the successful experience of the European School of Pathology, supported by the European divisions of the Academy. The idea was to bring pathologists-in -training into a place where a selected topic in pathology is covered in depth over several days. The attendants will have lectures by recognized specialists in the field followed by laboratory sessions and slide reviews to expand their learning on that subject.

To encourage these trainees to attend, affordable housing on site is secured to maximize attendance and participation since the sessions will be full days and intensive. During the Dubai meeting, the Council voted in favor of the proposal and appointed a taskforce to draft the Bylaws for the Arab School of Pathology and to present them the following year at the Damascus meeting.

This taskforce was chaired by Dr. Gamal Abdul Aal and consisted of Dr. Mouza Al Sharhan, Dr. Nina Shabb and Dr. Ghazi Zaatari. First, it was proposed to recognize the Arab School of Pathology as a joint activity with the British Division because this will set a strong partnership project with an established division within the Academy.

Realizing the peculiarities and needs of our Division, it was suggested to expand the objectives of the School to promote teaching of pathology at all educational levels to medical and paramedical professionals in the Arab countries by holding annual workshops, short courses, and seminars. Moreover, the establishment of visiting fellowships and website were proposed. In September 2001 and in Damascus, the Council deliberated the submitted draft of the bylaws and approved it after some modifications. The draft was shared with Professor Henry who in turn reviewed it with the Council of the British Division who endorsed it wholeheartedly in Spring 2002.

The faculty and the participants grouped for a photo. Professors Henry and Wotherspoon appear on both sides of Dr, Zaatari.

Having set the stage, the Arab Division proceeded with the plans for the First Arab School of Pathology and considering the special input of Dr. Henry, it was only appropriate to choose the topic of Hematopathology for its Tutorial and have her as a co-director for the School and a faculty person. The Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at the American University of Beirut (AUB) where the first workshop took place on December 9-13, 2002 co-sponsored the program. The suitable teaching facilities and the available women and men dormitories at AUB offered a proper site for the School. The tutorial extended over five days and was attended by 30 pathologists-in-training and pathologists from Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Sudan and Syria.

The faculty included Dr. Kristin Henry and Dr. Andrew Wotherspoon from the British Division and Dr. Gamal Abdul Aal, Dr. Joud Haidar, Dr. Nina Shabb, Dr. Ayman Tawil, and Dr. Ghazi Zaatari from the Arab Division. The program included sessions on introduction to lymphoid tissues, reactive lymphadenopathies, B-and T-cell cell lymphomas, Hodgkin lymphoma, bone marrow pathology, extra-nodal lymphomas, proper handling of diagnostic lymphoid tissue, use of flow cytometry in the diagnosis of lymphoid neoplasia, and fine needle aspiration biopsy in lymphoproliferative disorders.

The enthusiasm of the participants was overwhelming and the experience was highly encouraging and successful. It was very rewarding for the organizers to watch the level of interest expressed by all attendants. It is hoped to carry on with this experience to make the Arab School of Pathology stand as a unique activity for our Division and to build upon our mutual interests to set the example for others for fruitful collaboration amongst different divisions of the Academy.

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1-Implementation of the new bylaws and constitution:
Both were discussed at length and were approved at our last council meeting held on September 26, 2001 in Damascus, Syria during our Thirteenth Meeting. One of the major concerns at the time of the discussion last year was the selection of council members representing various Arab countries on the council. According to the bylaws (Article 11-Officers and Executive Committee), the councilor and an alternate councilor shall be elected by the pathology society of that country. Dr. Amr suggested that a nominating committee should be established to help in selecting council members based on commitments to the Division and its goals and frequent active participation in the activities of the Division. After lengthy discussion with input from Dr. Satti and Dr. Ben Rejeb, and a suggestion from Dr El Hindawi to change the wording of the bylaws to "select" instead of "elect" it was agreed that the amendment will be "The councilors and alternate councilors, one each for each country, shall be selected by the Division members in each country". The term of office will be for 2 years as per the bylaws. The raise of hands approved this.

2-The Arab School of Pathology:
Dr. Zaatari reported to the Council that the first session for the School will be held in Beirut, Lebanon on December 9-13, 2002 and will be dedicated to Hematopathology. Two speakers from the British Division (Prof. Kristin Henry and Prof. Andrew Wotherspoon), and four speakers from the Arab Division (Prof. Ghazi Zaatari, Dr. Ayman Tawil, Dr. Joud Haider and Dr. Gamal Abdulaal) shall deliver lectures and slide seminars in various areas of hematopathology including flow cytometry. Dr. Zaatari secured special housing accommodation for physicians in training (Residents) at the dormitories of the American University of Beirut for the rate of $15 per day. The tuition fees for residents were set at $50. A brochure was produced and distributed at the meeting to encourage pathologists, especially residents, to attend. Dr. Zaatari acknowledged the help and support extended to our Division by the British Division to make the Arab School of Pathology (ASP) a reality. He expressed his sincere thanks to Prof. Kristin Henry for her relentless efforts in this regard. Dr. Fouad Dayel stated that Department of Pathology at King Faisal Specialist Hospital (KFSH) is willing to support future tutorials of the ASP with speakers and resources on various topics including cytopathology, lymphoreticular pathology, bone tumors, neuropathology and many more. KFSH can hold these tutorials in Riyadh as well as other countries if needed due to problems related to visas for participants. The council expressed its appreciation for this proposal and it will work closely along, with the officers of ASP, with Dr. Dayel to implement these proposals.

3-Financial Report:
Dr Annab, Treasurer, read the report. There is a total of about $14,000 in assets. Most of the assets are kept in saving account in Jordanian Dinars for better interest rate. Dr. Annab discussed the chronic problem of collection of annual dues from members. We discussed in previous council meetings that dues should be incorporated in the registration fees, to guarantee collection of dues from those attending the meeting until we can have a better system to collect dues from all members. At the present meeting, we able to collect dues from only 47 members due to the refusal of the front desk secretariat to enforce this issue, and left it optional to those participants; many are not familiar with the Arab Division and its activities. We collected in Damascus last year dues from 75 members, which was quite surprising when compared to the dismal collection this year in a country where financial resources of participants are better. Our Egyptian councilors in charge of next years meeting promised to implement the incorporation of the dues with meeting’s fees. Dr Annab mentioned that part of the problem of collection of annual dues is related to lack of an updated list of members’ names and addresses to send them notices for annual dues. Dr. Zaatari is working on an updated list which will be placed on the website of the Division.

4-Publications and publication Committee:
The second Newsletter was published and distributed to participants in the meeting. Dr. Zaatari expressed thanks to HE Dr Mohammad Iyad Chatti, Minister of Health in Syria for printing the issue and covering the cost of the printing expenses.

Dr. Zaatari and Dr. Amr expressed their thanks to Dr. Wasim Raslan, Editor of the Newsletter for his efforts in editing and formatting the second issue and make it available on a CD for printing. The issue is available at our website which is maintained at Dr. Zaatari’s department at AUB. It is accessible at: http://labmed.aub.edu.lb/iapad/. The idea of establishing "Arab Journal of Pathology’ was discussed. Dr. Mohammad Akhtar, Chairman of Pathology Department at KFSH and Editor of the "Annals of Saudi Medicine" was invited to give his comments. He stated that the journal "market" in pathology is over saturated. There are lots of local general medical journals as well. Starting a new journal requires lots of efforts and commitment. Dr. Zaatari stated that our Division is not mature enough at this stage to sustain a journal on its own. Dr. Akhtar recommended that we stressed our attention at the Newsletter and publishe it on regular basis. Dr. Amr stated that he is compiling all the abstracts submitted at all the meetings of the Division since 1988, by anatomic system and by country. He will negotiate with Dr. Dayel to have these abstracts index published at KFSH press.

Night picture on the roof of Al Faisaliah building, Riyadh, 14th meeting, 2002

5-14th Meeting of the Arab Division of IAP, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia:
Dr. Fouad Dayel briefed the council on the current meeting. There are over 200 participants. In spite of the visa problems, several pathologists from outside Saudi Arabia made it to the meeting. There were a number of pathologists from Iraq , who made it against all the odds. made over the various embassies as far as the ease and expediency of visa issuing in these embassies. Mayo Clinic had contributed several outstanding speakers, either in person (Drs. Unni and Scheithauer) or through tele-conference (Drs Smyrk, Burgart, and Lloyd). Arab pathologists residing abroad (Dr. Naffusi, UK; Dr. Sneige, USA) gave outstanding lectures and seminars. One guest speaker from the British Division, Dr Corrin gave lectures related to pulmonary interstitial disease. 8 workshops were offered in various areas of pathology. In addition, several oral presentations and posters were included to allow active participation of our members by submitting their scientific work at the meeting. The council members expressed their thanks to Dr Dayel and Akhtar for their efforts. Both were presented appreciation plaques later on.

Guest speakers honored at the Brazilian retardant during the 14th meeting. From right to left: Drs. Al-Naffusi, Dayel, Scheitauer, Snieg, and Eissa

6- 15th Meeting of Arab Division of IAP, Cairo, Egypt:
Dr. Ali El Hindawi briefed the Council on the preparations for the next meeting to be held in Cairo. The date had been set: October 14-16, 2003. It will be held at the Marriott Hotel. He obtained the support of the Egyptian Minister of Health, HE Dr. Mohamed Awad Tag El Din. The first announcement had been printed and was distributed to the participants of the present meeting. Copies will be given to our Councilors to be distributed in various Arab countries. The second announcement will be released in late December 2002 or early January 2003. Dr. Amr and Dr. Zaatari met with Dr. El Hindawi on the final day of the meeting and discussed details, logistics and plans of action.

7-Mediterranian meeting sponsored by the Greek Division:
Dr. Amr notified the Council about the upcoming meeting sponsored by the Greek Division for countries on the Mediterranean Sea to be held in May 2003. He encouraged the members to attend this meeting to establish ties with other Divisions and invite them.

8-Proposals for future meetings:
Various sites were proposed for future meetings of the Division including Tunis, Tunisia; Beirut, Lebanon; Manama, Bahrain; and Amman, Jordan. Dr. Abdelkhalek Ben Rejeb proposed having the meeting in 2004 in Tunis. He will coordinate with Dr. Amr for various aspects of organizing the meeting and getting speakers for the meeting. The offer was accepted with a note of appreciation to Dr. Ben Rejeb and his colleagues in Tunisia

9-Mailing list and web page:
Dr. Zaatari stated that an update of members’ mailing list is needed. Dr. Dayel will supply information about the participants in the current meeting to be added to what is available. The list will be kept in a database at the secretariat office at AUB and will be posted on the Division’s web page. Dr. Zaatari announced that the Division’s web page is operational. It can be accessed at: http://labmed.aub.edu.lb/iapad

A special attention to Dr. Fouad Al- Dayel.

10-Establishment of committees:
Dr. Amr proposed the establishment of various committees to help in running the affairs of the Division. He will write draft with these committees and their functions, to be distributed to the Councilors for discussion next year in Cairo. The meeting was adjourned at 3:45 PM

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He is best known for his early and original breakthrough in surgery as well as for his famous Medical Encyclopedia called Al-Tasrif, which is composed of thirty volumes covering different aspects of medical science. The more important part of his series comprises three books on surgery, which describe in detail various aspects of surgical treatment as based on the operations performed by him, including cauterization, removal of stone from the bladder, dissection of animals, midwifery, styptics, and surgery of eye, ear and throat. He perfected several delicate operations, including removal of the dead foetus and amputation. Gherard of Cremona into Latinin the Middle Ages first translated al-Tasrif. Several other editors’ in Europe followed it. The book contains numerous diagrams and illustrations of surgical instruments, in use or developed by him, and comprised a part of the medical curriculum in European countries for many centuries. Contrary to the view that the Muslims fought shy of surgery, Al-Zahrawi's Al-Tasrif provided a monumental collection for this branch of applied science.

Al-Zahrawi was the inventor of several surgical instruments, of which three are notable: (i) an instrument for internal examination of the ear, (ii) an instrument for internal inspection of the urethra, and (iii) and instrument for applying or removing foreign bodies from the throat. He specialized in curing disease by cauterization and applied the technique to as many as 50 different operations. In his book Al-Tasrif, Al-Zahrawi has also discussed the preparation of various medicines, in addition to a comprehensive account of surgical treatment in specialized branches, whose modern counter-parts are E.N.T., Ophthalmology, etc. In connection with the preparation of medicines, he has also described in detail the application of such techniques as sublimation and decantation.

Al-Zahrawi was also an expert in dentistry, and his book contains sketches of various instruments used thereof, in addition to a description of various important dental operations. He discussed the problem of non-aligned or deformed teeth and how to rectify these defects. He developed the technique of preparing artificial teeth and of replacement of defective teeth by these. In medicine, he was the first to describe in detail the unusual disease, hemophilia.

There can be no doubt that Al-Zahrawi influenced the field of medicine and surgery very deeply and the principles laid down by him were recognized as authentic in medical science, especially surgery, and these continued to influence the medical world for five centuries. According to Dr. Cambell (History of Arab Medicine),his principles of medical science surpassed those of Galen in the European medical curriculum.
References
http://www.oman-net.com/msp/zahrawi.htm

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25TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF THE INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF PATHOLOGY
PLACE: BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND. AUSTRALIA
TIME: OCTOBER 5-10, 2004
WEBSITE: WWW.IAP04.IM.COM.AU

SIXTH MEETING OF THE SYRIAN SOCIETY OF PATHOLOGY
PLACE: BUSRA AL SHAM, SYRIA
TIME: APRIL 2004
CONTACT: DR. ZAHI SHAWAF
E-mail: zahi@scs-net.org

SECOND IBN SINA CONGRESS FOR PATHOLOGY & CYTOLOGY
PLACE: TUNIS, TUNISIA
TIME: DECEMBER 4 -6, 2003
CONTACT DR. ABDELKHALEK BEN REJEB
E-mail: abdelkhalekbr@yahoo.fr

CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS NEWSLETTER
WASIM F. RASLAN, MD, PHD
IMAN AL JENABI, MD
SAMIR S. AMR, MD
GHAZI ZAATARI, MD

EDITOR & CORRESPONDENCE:
WASIM F. RASLAN, MD, PHD.
SAUDI ARAMCO, BOX: 10613
DHAHRAN, 31311 SAUDI ARABIA
E-mail: wasim.raslan@aramco.com
Fax: 966-3-877-3791
PUBLISHED IN OCTOBER 2003

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Dar Al Hikma (right to left) Drs Ben Rejab, Bou Bakir, Ben Avad, Janabi, Ben Abdullah, Woroud.

The birth of the Arab Maghreb Association of Pathology (AMAP) in Morocco:
After two years of preparation the idea of establishing a single organization, which unify the efforts of all Arab Maghreb pathologists and their associations became a reality. The establishment of the Arab Maghreb Association of Pathology (AMAP) in Morocco, under its French name Société Maghrebine D`anatomie Pathologique was announced. The idea matured rapidly due to the need for an organization, where pathologists can exchange their experience, and train young pathologists in the region. The AMAP was announced during the scientific conference, which was held in May 2003 in Casablanca-Morocco to discuss lymphoprliferative disorders. Drs. F.Asselah (Algeria), S.Saida (Morocco) and N.Kchir (Tunisia) signed the internal bylaws and officially registered the society in Morocco.

Standing left to right: Dr.Kchir, Prof de-Mascarel, Dr. Janabi
Seated: Dr. de-Mascarel (left), Dr. Khaiat (right)

Activities of the Tunisian Pathology Association (TPA):
Ever since its foundation in 1986 (starting with only 4 pathologists, now mounting up to 70), the Tunisian Pathology Association (TPA) kept and enhanced its standard as an active structure for disseminating scientific knowledge among pathologists. It continues to attract fellow pathologists to participate in national and international congresses of high standard. Distinguished pathologists -mainly French- are often invited as guest lecturers. Dr.N.Kchir now heads the society.

A Congress on the Neoplastic Liver Diseases was held in Al-Hammamat, a lovely resort by the Mediterranean, in July 2002. Professor Monique Fabre of the University Center of Biceter, Paris was invited as a guest speaker. The meeting was outstanding as a result of the excellent scientific standard and the accompanying social activities.

As a striking example of collaborative efforts among pathology associations, the TPA and the Tunisia Cancer Association (TCA) jointly organized a congress designed to probe the depth of the current knowledge in Lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, Plasmocytoma, and related topics. It was held in October 2002 in the prosperous modern suburb of Carthage. At the heights of Carthage, once an ancient seaport, built by the Phoenicians and was latter famous for its mighty queen Alyssa and its great worrier Hannibal, stood a 250-year-old palace named Qasir Al-Bay. It was named after the old Osmani the ruler of Tunisia. The palace is now remolded and is opened for public as a congress hall known as Dar Al-Hikma. The scientific and social activities were of insurmountable standards. At the backyard of Qasir Al-Bay, the participants posed for an unforgettable picture where the mighty Mediterranean Sea extended behind them thrusting into the horizon (right middle).

The unforgettable scene at the Mediterranean Sea in the backyard of Qasir Al- Bay

Professors Dr. and Mrs. De Mascarel of the University Center of Bordeaux, France, gave high standard workshops on bone and breast pathology for two days from February 28th to March 1st, 2003. The Belvedir Hotel in downtown, Tunis hosted the TPA sponsered guest speakers. The spacious hotel accommodated a high number of attendants who took turns in posing their questions and ideas.

* Dr. Al-Janabi is an Iraqi pathologist residing in Tunisia

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The Ninth Meeting was held in Beirut, Lebanon at the American University of Beirut, Issam Fares Hall on September 4-7, 1997. Lebanon was getting out of its bitter civil war, which lasted about 15 years. Its educational and civil institutions were recovering, and the entire country was being re-built after years of carnage and destruction. Holding scientific and medical meetings was a good sign of a recovery for Lebanon.

The President of the meeting was Dr. Edgard Gedeon. He was assisted by two councilors representing Lebanon at the Division’s council, namely Dr. George Aftimos who chaired the organizing committee and Dr. Ghazi Zaatari who chaired the scientific committee. Guest speakers came from USA, UK, Canada, France and Saudi Arabia. From Montreal, Canada, Dr. Alex Ferenczy gave two lectures. The first was on HPV infection and cervical neoplasia; and the second was on new concepts in endometrial hyperplasia. An eminent Arab American of Lebanese roots, Dr. Fadi Abdul Karim, lectured us on ovarian epithelial tumors, recent developments in gynecological cytology, and on bone tumors (cartilaginous and giant cell rich tumors).

Dr. David Grignon, a renowned Urological pathologist from Detroit lectured on prostatic and urinary bladder pathology. Dr. Carlos Bedrossian, a well- known cytopathologist from Detroit lectured on FNA of liver and thyroid as well as on automation in cytopathology. Dr. Mohammad Akhtar from King Faisal Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia gave a timely presentation on fine needle aspiration cytology of small round cell tumors of childhood. The British Division contributed two speakers. Dr. David Ansel, President of the British Division of IAP at that time gave a 4-hour slide seminar on uropathology presenting 12 cases mostly neoplastic lesions of the kidney and male genitalia. Dr. Kristin Henry presented a lecture on lymphomas of the thymus and mediastinum.

A group picture of the council members of the Arab Division of IAP. Beirut, Lebanon 1997. Also present Dr. Francis Jaubert, president of the French Division of  the IAP.

The French Division contributed several speakers as well. Dr. Francis Jaubert and Dr. P Validire gave a workshop on pediatric bone and soft tissue tumors. Dr. Marie Laure Brisson lectured on glomerular diseases. Dr. N Brousse and Dr. A de-Mascarel lectured on extranodal lymphomas and GI lymphomas. A special session on update in laboratory medicine was held on the final day of the meeting. One of the highlights of this session is a presentation on the utilization of molecular diagnostic tools in the diagnosis of infectious diseases by Dr. Sharif Zaki, an American Arab pathologist who works at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He also lectured on the newly emerging infections, a hot topic following the AIDS epidemic.A new council was elected at this meeting.

The new president was Dr. Abdulla Darwish from Bahrain, the Past President was Dr. Sadok Korbi from Tunisia, and the President-elect was Dr.Ghazi Zaatari from Lebanon. Dr. Samir Amr was proposed to replace Dr. Y Dajani as Vice President for Asia, IAP in 1998, since Dr. Dajani was resigning from that post. Dr. Leila El-Shazli distributed the first announcement for the next meeting in Alexandria in 1998. Dr. Korbi made a formal proposal to hold the 1999 meeting in Sousse, Tunisia, and that was approved. Three bids were made for 2000: Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Dubai. By vote, Dubai won by a large majority.

The second Ibn Al Nafis award was given to a resident in training at the American University of Beirut Dr. Bitar for her poster on breast The participants enjoyed Lebanon and many of them visited historical and tourist attractions in Beirut, Junieh, Baalbak, Jeita Grotto and Harissa. The Grotto is a huge cave with numerous amazing stalactites and stalagmites forming most unusual shapes and figures. There was a gala dinner at Fakhreddine restaurant in Broumana, a small village in the mountains of Lebanon. At that elegant restaurant, the famous Lebanese appetizer dishes (Mazeh) were served with shish kebabs.

The Tenth Meeting was held in Alexandria, Egypt on October 25-29, 1998. It followed the 21st Congress of IAP which was held in Nice, France a few days earlier. Some of the delegates came from Nice directly to Alexandria to participate. The meeting was held in a lovely set up at Palestine Hotel, which is present on Al Muntazah Palace compound. The elegance and glory of the past Egyptian royalty was evident in the surrounding palaces and gardens. The theme of the meeting was "New Trends in Pathology and Oncology". The President of the meeting was Dr. Rawia Galal and the secretary was Dr. Leila El- Shazly.

There were speakers from Egypt, UK, France, United Arab Emirates and Jordan. About 240 pathologists, mostly from Egypt attended the meeting.The British Division contributed two slide seminars preceded by lectures. The first one was related to pediatric tumors, presented by two speakers: Dr. S Variend and Dr. Adrian Charles. The second seminar was on lymphomas with follicular or nodular pattern presented by Dr. Kristin Henry.The French Division contributed a workshop on liver pathology. Dr. Claude Degott lectured on chronic hepatitis. Dr. Michel Reynes lectured on fulminant hepatitis and liver transplant pathology. Both gave a slide seminar on tumors of the liver.Dr. Najib Haboubi from Manchester, UK lectured on interpretation of colon biopsies. Dr. Suheir Hammam from Egypt lectured on parasitic and fungal infections of the Central Nervous System. Dr. Gamal Abdul-Aal from UAE lectured on the cytological diagnosis of thyroid lesions. Dr. Yahia Dajani from Jordan lectured on the new classification of testicular biopsy for infertility from histological and cytological point of view. Dr. Dajani resigned from his post as Secretary of the Arab Division on the last day of this meeting for personal reasons.

In keeping with our established tradition on having presentations on history of medicine, we had at this meeting two lectures. The first entitled "Spotlights on ancient Egyptian Medicine" by Dr. R Khalil from Egypt. The second was entitled "Avicenna: Founder of functional anatomy" by Dr. Abdelkhalek Ben Rajeb from Tunisia.At this meeting, it was decided to establish an annual lecture named after Dr. Kamal Ishak in recognition of this remarkable Arab pathologist. This lecture should be presented at the beginning of each annual meeting by an eminent pathologist about a timely topic or general topics related to practice, philosophy, or history of pathology. The suggestion of the establishment of this lecture came from Dr. Najib Haboubi from Manchester, UK. Dr. Haboubi who moved to Manchester from Baghdad, Iraq over 25 years ago, is a strong supporter of the Division and is our representative among Arab pathologists in UK and an advisor to the council of the Division.

On the last day of the meeting, Dr. El-Shazly and her team organized for the participants a tour of Alexandria. We saw the new Library of Alexandria was about to be inaugurated as a monument of human culture and civilization after two millennia of the destruction of the original library built during the Hellenic rule of Egypt. We went to Qaitbai Castle, built during the Memluk period over 600 years ago by Sultan Qaitbai to protect the city. We visited the museum of Alexandria, which has a wealth of Greek and Roman antiquities. We visited certain excavation sites of the old Alexandria as well. We were told that there are seven "Alexandrias" on top of each other representing various historical periods.

The Eleventh Meeting was held in Sousse, Tunisia on November 19-22, 1999 at Riadh Palm Hotel. The President of the meeting was Dr. Sadok Korbi assisted by a team of active Tunisian pathologists. By testimony of many pathologists, this meeting was one of the best held by the Division with rich scientific and social program and a quite active participation by pathologists from Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco as well as pathologists from African countries. The number of papers presented as posters and oral presentations was a record for our Division at that time (180 papers).

The French Division and other invited French speakers were present in force. Dr. M Forest from Paris presented a symposium on bone tumors including a slide seminar. Dr. JM Coindre presented a slide seminar on soft tissue tumors from Bordeaux. Dr. L Frappart from Lyon lectured on prognostic parameters in breast cancer. Dr. Monique Fabre and Dr. Beatrix Cochand-Priollet from Paris presented a symposium and slide seminar on cytopathology of solid masses. Dr. Philippe Fredouille from Marseille participated with Dr. M Yacoubi (Tunisia), Dr. A Saad (Tunisia) and Dr. H Porter (UK) in a seminar on fetal and placental pathology. Other speakers came from UK, USA, Switzerland, Belgium and Germany. Dr. Kristin Henry (UK) gave a lecture on Hodgkin’s disease and a slide seminar on Histiocytosis in childhood and Hodgkin’s disease. Dr. Wael Sakr, an Arab American pathologist originally from Syria, and a frequent supporter of our Division, lectured on pathology and molecular biology of early prostatic cancer.

From Germany, Dr. M L Hansman lectured on pitfalls in lymphoreticular diseases and the relationship between Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Dr. F T Bosman from Switzerland gave a lecture on new concepts and the place of molecular biology in colo-rectal carcinoma. Dr. B Borish, also from Switzerland lectured on apoptosis. Dr. G E Pierrard from Belgium presented a slide seminar on melanotic lesions of skin.Dr. Kamal Ishak, Chairman of Division of Hepatic and Gastro-intestinal Pathology at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) in Washington, DC, USA, presented a lecture on pre-neoplastic lesions of the liver and a slide seminar on metabolic liver diseases. As agreed in our last meeting, the first Kamal Ishak Lecture was presented by Dr. Najib Haboubi. He gave a summary of the achievements and the legacy of this world-renowned pathologist, and traces his roots from Sudan to Egypt then to USA. The impact of Dr. Ishak on liver pathology and the pioneer work he did in elucidating many pathological entities related to inflammatory and neoplastic conditions of the liver was shown by Dr. Haboubi.Dr. M Muncif Zitouna gave our annual lecture on history of medicine. It was entitled "Tunisian Medicine through the centuries".

Group picture at Riyadh Palm Hotel, Sousse, Tunisia. Eleventh Meeting, November 22, 1999.

The social program included a dinner and folkloric feast at a theater and restaurant called "Le Douar". It is a tiny village outside Sousse, with traditional folklore dancers, horsemen with dancing horses, nomadic women applying "Henna" for lady guests, and of course a dinner of koskos, a traditional North African meal. We took the opportunity of that pleasant gathering and distributed appreciation plaques for the organizer of the meeting Dr. Korbi, and to various representatives of the Divisions which contributed to the meetings as well as to the frequent supporters of the Division including Dr. Kamal Ishak, Dr. Kristin Henry and Dr. Najib Haboubi. These tokens of appreciation were well received. It became a new tradition for our Division done in all subsequent meetings.

The gala dinner held at the Rievera Hotel was quite memorable. Dr. Korbi invited several officials along with the members who came to this multiple course meal. A big cake with a surprise was brought in. A pretty young Tunisian girl jumped out from the inside of the cake. Later, folklore music and songs as well as a belly dancer were part of this remarkable program of entertainment. At this meeting, the council of the Division decided to have Dr. Sadok Korbi as the new Secretary for the Division. Dr. Ghazi Zaatari (Lebanon) was the new President and Dr. Sharif El Salem (Syria) was the President-elect. Ibn Al Nafis prize went that year to Dr. Munir Tremish from Tunisia for his paper entitled "EBV and lymphoma in Central Tunisia". Dr. Gamal Abdel-Aal from UAE distributed the first announcement for the next meeting in Dubai.
To be continued…

To be continued…

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Ibn El Nafees scholarship was offered by Dr. Najib Haboubi the chairman of the Department of Pathology at Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust. It pays for a single accommodation up to six months to a young pathologist just before getting his/her consultant grade. The nominee will be allowed good exposure to the running of Pathology services in the UK, the interaction of Pathology and other disciplines in this hospital, and possibly initiating a research project. Following the period of training, the trainee is required to:

1- Write a report addressed to the IAP/AD about his/her experience. This report may appear in the Newsletter of the IAP/AD.
2- Upon return back to his/her home country, implement the experience he/she has gained and if applicable open research communication with Dr. Haboubi’s Department. As there will be a strong interest in this opportunity, the selection will be made strictly on CV’s and may give some consideration for certain geographical factors.

For more information, kindly contact: Mrs. Maggie Irving Personal Secretary to Dr. Najib Haboubi Department of Surgical Pathology, Trafford Healthcare NHS Trust, Moorside Road, Davyhulme Manchester M41 5 SL, U.K.
Tel: (0044) 161 746 2474, Fax: (0044) 161 746 2898
E-mail: Margaret.Irving@traffdhc-tr.nwest.nhs.uk

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