tribute Archives - Professor Felix Konotey-Ahulu

Tribute by Professor Felix I D Konotey-Ahulu

Ebenezer Mensah Tagoe was born on Ghana’s Independence Day 6th March 1957. Like 3 of the 11 children born to my own parents Ebenezer had Sickle Cell Disease the hereditary cold rainy season rheumatism that Ga people call Tswetsweetswe (Chwechweechwe) known to us long before Europeans called it Sickle Cell Disease.

Parents of chwechweechwe children passed on the ache code to the child even when they themselves may not have the “ache” problem, because it takes 2 codes of “ache”, one from father, one from mother to make the child ache with cold season rheumatism.

Like in my own family those of us 11 children receiving an ache code from one parent and the normal blood code from the other parent do not ache in the rainy season. In other words, parents who are NORM-ACHE type like my own patients pass on NORM or ACHE code to a particular child, never both.

Ebenezer, as well as my 2 brothers and 1 sister got ACHE code from both our parents to produce double ACHE which combination makes the blood cells thicken under certain conditions to cause joint and body aches characteristic of Sickle Cell Disease.

HOW EBENEZER TAGOE BECAME ACHIEVER WITH SICKLE CELL DISEASE

Although it was being taught that sickle cell disease patients did not live beyond thirty years of age, Ebenezer lived longer than twice of 30 years because he quickly learnt that only certain events produced the serious pains (called crises) which he learnt to avoided – things like being caught in the rain, fever, and infections. He attended and spoke at all The International Conferences of Sickle Cell Disease Patient Achievers that I organised in 1993 at Royal Society of Medicine in London, 1995 in Accra, and 2010 also in Accra where he told the audience to much amusement that he had avoided painful sickle cell crisis in the previous 20 years by drinking 4 Litres of water every single day provided he could find a suitable place to pass water. He used to educate doctors in England. Ebenezer had trained as a professional pharmacist and worked in a London University Teaching Hospital where a Consultant Haematologist could not believe he had sickle cell disease until he tested his blood to find he possessed double ACHE codes making him ACHEACHE. His parents, like mine were healthy NORMACHE capable of donating NORM or ACHE codes to their children.
Ebenezer married a lady who was NORMNORM so that none of their children would have double ACHE Chwechweechwe or Sickle Cell Disease.

ABORTING SICKLE CELL DISEASE PREGNANCIES IS WRONG!

By doing so well professionally as a Pharmacist in a London Teaching Hospital Ebenezer proved that the sickle cell code (S) or gene was not the only thing his parents gave him. He received from his Mum and Dad codes for beauty, brilliance, sympathy, and kindness as well as the sickle cell codes so teaching doctors how wrong it was that they should advise parents to abort a pregnancy that tested had shown would produce sickle cell disease. Doctors today, today, today are aborting sickle cell disease pregnancies unaware that they could be aborting geniuses.

The International Conferences I organised were attended by great ACHIEVERS in Nursing, Teaching, Businesses, Pharmacy, and other professions. If the parents had aborted Ebenezer, could his brilliant children have been produced through a wonderful wife who helped him in his hereditary illness? Where did these children, now adults, get their brilliant genes from? He invited me and my wife in 1994 to their 10th Wedding Anniversary in England, and I was greatly happy when he named one of his sons after me for looking after him at Korle Bu.

WE SALUTE THE MEMORY OF EBENZER MENSAH TAGOE

We indeed salute the memory of one who achieved great things through suffering. At a time when younger people than him had been taken out of this life Ebenezer Mensah Tagoe lived to 65 years, defeated his last Enemy Death, and has gone into the GLORY to enjoy LORD JESUS CHRIST. My heartfelt Condolences, and my wife Rosemary’s go to his dear mother Mrs Janet Gifty Tagoe-Quayle and his brothers Prince Nwojo Tagoe, Jonathan Adokwei Tagoe, and George Felix Ankamah Tagoe, and also to the larger family.

DR REGINALD ADDAE: WATCHFUL CONSULTANT PHYSICIAN
TRIBUTE BY DR FELIX I D KONOTEY-AHULU

Another great Ghanaian Physician has left us for good, but not really forever because much of what he did in life will be remembered for decades to come. Those who read international medical journals will recall the role DR REGINALD ADDAE & DR FRANK T DJABANOR played in SAVING BLACK PEOPLE FROM HUMILIATION.

And these two Ghanaian London-University-trained doctors did this by revealing as TOTALLY FALSE an international medical report which advised that

“If on certain African routes, a Negro traveller must take an unpressurized aircraft it would be wise to ascertain the sickling status before departure”.

imagine you and I being pulled out of a queue boarding an aeroplane to be tested at the airport for sickle cells. The FALSE international publication was so significant that within a week, the world’s leading Science Journal NATURE, and the leading British Newspaper THE TIMES elaborated the original false article and made their own recommendations. THE TIMES Science Correspondent even went further to recommend that all Black Air Crews should be grounded immediately.

FLIGHT FROM KUMASI TO ACCRA

The FALSE medical report was based on a Ghanaian nurse flying from Kumasi to Accra and who during the 45 minutes flight developed tummy problems. On arrival in Accra she was operated upon by a non-Ghanaian surgeon at the 37-General Hospital now called The Military Hospital. The report in the Medical Journal by 3 non-Africans who had never been to Africa, said the Ghanaian nurse was Sickle Cell Trait proven by the standard test called Haemoglobin Electrophoresis. This report caught the sharp eyes of the two Ghanaian Physicians at the Military Hospital even though “Military Hospital” was not mentioned in any of the international publications. Reggie Addae was the first to write to the international Medical Journal asking for proof that the nurse
was sickle cell trait (Haemoglobin Electrophoresis “AS”). Next to write for proof of what was said to have been performed at our Military Hospital was Dr Frank Djabanor. Dr Reginald Addae gave at least 8 (eight) criteria later known as “ADDAE CRITERIA” to be honoured before any clinical condition could be attributed to the Sickle Cell Trait (“AS”). Meanwhile, Kennedy Airport grounded their Black Pilots and Air Crews.

“SCIENTIFIC FALSEHOOD” EXPOSED BY WHITE & BLACK EXPERTS

Professor Hermann Lehmann FRS of Cambridge University wrote to THE TIMES after reading its recommendation that all Black Air Crew should be grounded and pointed out that the Sickle Cell Trait “AS” did not constitute a disease phenotype, and that Sickle Cell Traits ran at the OLYMPIC GAMES at Mexico City, 7,000 ft above sea level, and thrashed the entire world. How could they have a disease? He began his letter of protest thus: “SIR – Your Science Report on December 9 1971 has suggested that all flight crews with SICKLE CELL TRAIT should be removed from flying duties and that all prospective Negro travellers should be screened for sickle cells”.

Dr Frank Djabanor whose protest letter followed Dr Reginald Addae’s said “Sickle Cells are not a Black Condition”, and that Europeans also had Sickle Cell Trait, sometimes “with higher percentages than anywhere in Ghana”. Listen to his logic:

“In some parts of Greece the prevalence of the Sickle Cell Trait is 30% (according to Professors Deliyannis and Tavlarakis, British Medical Journal 1955 volume 2 page 299); more than twice the prevalence in Northern Ghana.” Dr Frank Djabanor then continued with this telling point: “The forebears and descendants of these non-Negro possessors of the sickle cell gene are, doubtlessly, scattered over America and Europe today. How can we identify them, from their external features, to thrust upon them the ‘benefits’ of this advice?” If, “for their own safety” all Negro travellers should be screened, “Surely”, Dr Djabanor continued “the authors would not advocate that we
deny some sections of the world community the benefits of their suggestion”.

Dr Frank Djabanor went HOME to GLORY last year, and my TRIBUTE to him was titled: “Lt-Col [Retd] F FT Djabanor (1938 – 2019). Physician whose exposure of scientific falsehood saved Black People from humiliation. TRIBUTE: ACCRA & Odumase-Krobo 31st March 2019.

I made sure that his burial was marked in the British Medical Journal with a detailed account of what he and Dr Reginald Addae who now follows him to GLORY did for all black people. See https://www.bmj.com/content/364/bmj.I735/rr-7 Konotey-Ahulu FID.
“Aviation Safety: Ghanaians recall media disinformation deriving from scientific misinformation. British Medical Journal Rapid Response March 1 2019 to Partha Kar – Applying Aviation Safety to Healthcare – Are we missing the fundamentals? Partha Kar 364: doi 10.1136/bmj.I735

THIS TRIBUTE TOO LONG?

If some Ghanaians are inclined to think this TRIBUTE is too long, please remember what Dr Reginald Addae and his Colleague Dr Frank Djabanor achieved for us. One in every Five (5) of us Ghanaians reading this, or listening to it, is Sickle Cell Trait (“AS”). Scientists are continuing to claim that 20 percent of us have hereditary “DISEASE SICKLE CELL TRAIT. The British call it a “DISORDER”. The WHO IDM Chart calls it a “DISORDER”. White Experts who knew the truth, and who defended us Black people against Tafracher “scientific nonsense” (Hermann Lehmann, Bela Ringelhann, George Edington, etc) have died. Black Experts have also died (Alexander Boyo, Bill Laing, Teddy Christian, Komla Gbedemah, George Bonney, George Ankra-Badu etc). Now Frank Djabanor and Reggie Addae have also gone.
Those of us Ghanaians remaining who know both the scientific truth, and the “scientific lies” (Alexander Bruce-Tagoe, Joseph Kpakpo Acquaye, Samuel Kwadwo Owusu, Albert Amoah, Dwomoa Adu, Jehoram T Anim, Michael O Matekole, Adzei Klufio, E Q Archampong, Lade Wosornu, myself, etc) will continue to tell the world what Professor Hermann Lehmann FRS told the LONDON TIMES: “Sickle Cell Traits ran at the Olympic Games in Mexico City (where the Oxygen was thin) and beat the entire world”. We salute the Inseparable Duo Frankie and Reggie who have defeated their Last Enemy, Death, and arrived HOME in Heaven. Ao, Ayenyekoo!

Heartfelt Condolences to the loved ones – Sisters Regina, Amelia and adult children Gina, Wendy.

HEAVEN

Oh think to step ashore, and that shore Heaven;

To take hold of a hand, and that hand God’s hand;

To breathe a new air, and that air Celestial air;

To feel invigorated, and know it, Immortality;

Oh think, to pass from the storm and tempest

To one unbroken smile,

To wake and find it GLORY!