Amir Alam | IICHS

Nilufar Kasra

Second son of AliAkbar Khan Mo’tamedolvezareh, Iranian charge d’affaires in Baghdad and Syria, Dr. Amir Alam was born in Trebizond. He received his elementary education in Iran. Then, he left for Turkey to continue his education. He was one of the students who received scholarship to go to Europe during Mazaffaraddin Shah’s reign, and received his doctorate in medical sciences from Lion of France. Prior to his return to Iran, he attended Paris international health conference as Iran’s representative and was granted the first rate scientific order of France.

On the eve of constitutional movement he returned to Iran and began to run his office in Baharestan Square and treated the needy for free. Then he became a professor of Darolfonun medical school and taught modern medical courses in there. He became a member of Iran’s Masonic awakening lodge, and promoted to assistant master.

He became the head of military health center as a colonel. He entered the second term of majlis from Mashhad. Three years later, he founded the new organization of military and gendarmerie health.

In 1913, through financial participation of some doctors and his brother, GholamHossein Alam, he founded a hospital for the military with fifty beds. He named the hospital after Ahmad Shah Qajar, then the Shah of Iran.

Four years later, again with the help of some friends and doctors, he founded the Women’s hospital as a modern maternity hospital to train nurses and midwives. In later years, the hospital was named Amir Alam hospital after his services to people.

He also received the rank, baldric and order of Sardar from Ahmad Shah Qajar, and was appointed the head of government health department. Subsequent to the First World War when the foreign doctors left Iran, he continued his researches and ran dissections in the medical school.

In 1919, he became a member of High cultural council, and in the same year, he became minister of public welfare in Vossouqoddowleh’s third cabinet. In the second term of Ahmad Qavam’s premiership, he was appointed minister of education, endowments and fine arts. Again, he was appointed a member of forth majlis from Mashhad and became deputy speaker of majlis.

Dr. Amir Alam was threatened by the Committee of Punishment to death. Upon the murder of his brother, Montakhaboddowleh by the same committee, Vossouqoddowleh ordered for the arrest of all of its members.

In 1924, he founded the society of red lion and sun. In the first constituent assembly, he was representative of Dargaz and he voted for the change of Qajar rule. He was the deputy president of Academy for a while. Then, he became the special physician of Reza Shah.

He was the first professor of anatomy in the new organization of medical faculty. After 1941, he became the dean of the medical faculty of Tehran university. He was the first minister of education in Saed Maraghei’s cabinet. Subsequent to the marriage of his daughter, Homa Alam to MohammadReza Shah’s brother, he became a member of royal family.

He married two times. His first wife was from Behzadiha family, who brought him a son named Fathollah Alam, and his second wife, was Vossouqoddowleh’s daughter, Afsar. They had six children: Majid, Iran, Turan, Fatemeh, Homa and Jahan. Due to heart attack, Amir Alam died in 1961 in age of eighty.

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