A new book documents the humanitarian and scientific career of world-renowned heart surgeon Magdi Yacoub, highlighting previously untold aspects of his life, philosophy, and medical legacy.
Titled Al-Hakim Magdi Yacoub: A Heart of Gold, the book is written by Aziza Fouad, managing editor of Nisf El-Dunia and El-Beit magazine. It traces the life and work of Yacoub, one of the world’s leading pioneers of heart surgery, focusing on both his professional achievements and his deeply rooted human values.
The book reveals key milestones in the life of the “King of Hearts,” many of which are published for the first time. It explores his philosophy of medicine and life, shedding light on the humane dimensions that shaped his thinking, culture, and career. It also highlights his sense of humour behind the seriousness of his scientific and medical journey, a side of Yacoub that remains largely unknown to many.
Spanning 260 pages, the book covers Yacoub’s upbringing in Egypt and his later move to Britain. It includes testimonies from colleagues and writers who accompanied his career, as well as behind-the-scenes accounts and exclusive interviews conducted with him for Al-Ahram newspaper and Nisf El-Dunia magazine. These materials document his research, surgeries, and scientific innovations, many of which continue to have a lasting impact on modern medicine.
The book also highlights Yacoub’s pioneering achievements in heart and lung transplantation and paediatric heart surgery. It documents his leading role in establishing Chain of Hope and the Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation in Aswan, which has become a global medical centre providing free treatment while contributing to the training of new generations of doctors.
The book is being showcased at the Cairo International Book Fair (CIBF) and marks Fouad’s first book.
In her introduction, Fouad writes: “Magdi Yacoub was a real source of inspiration to generations of doctors in Egypt and around the world. I never saw him as merely a world-class surgeon, but as a rare human model who taught me that sincere giving is the essence of medicine, and that when science blends with compassion, miracles happen. This book is a message of gratitude to a man who left his mark on hearts before leaving his imprint on the history of medicine — a role model that time rarely offers.”
source/content: english.ahram.org.eg (headline edited)
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BRITISH / EGYPT