Answer the following question: Facts: - residence: rhodesia/zimbabwe - doctoral students: - - prizes: order , cbe of the knighthood of st. sylvester , obe - known for: working as a tropical medic - death date: 12 july 1985 - field: medicine , physician - doctoral advisor: - - work institution: godfrey huggins school of medicine - birth date: 1 january 1912 - name: michael gelfand - nationality: south africa - death place: harare , zimbabwe - religion: jewish - birth place: wynberg , south africa - alma mater: university of cape town Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of michael gelfand .
Answer:
professor michael gelfand obe , cbe , knight of the order of st. sylvester , md -lrb- cape town -rrb- , frcp , dph -lrb- london -rrb- , dmr , hon. lld -lrb- zimbabwe and birmingham -rrb- , hon. dlitt -lrb- cape town -rrb- , was one of zimbabwe 's most distinguished colonial medical practitioners , who received a papal order of the knighthood of st. sylvester .gelfand was noted for a humanistic approach to medicine , and for his historical and ethnographic works , which are considered to have played an important role in his reexamination of significant colonial prejudices he held about african peoples , culture , and religious practices .professor gelfand was born in wynberg , cape province , south africa , in 1912 , of immigrant lithuanian parents , and he died on 12 july 1985 , while attending a patient in the avenues clinic in harare , zimbabwe .gelfand was a practitioner of judaism .after qualifying in south africa and working there and in england , in 1939 he joined the then-southern rhodesia medical service as physician , pathologist and radiologist .he had married a bulawayon , esther kollenberg , whom he had met at the university of cape town .when their first of three daughters was due , they joined esther 's family in rhodesia .once in government service , he quickly gained a reputation by being the only doctor to correctly diagnose the illness of the wife of the head of the medical services .in 1955 , he founded the central african journal of medicine with joseph ritchken , and remained its co-editor for many years .in 1962 , he joined the then-university of rhodesia as founding professor of african medicine .from 1970 until his retirement , in 1977 , he was professor and head of department of medicine , and thereafter emeritius professor and senior clinical research fellow .he was a prolific writer : 330 articles and monographs in various journals on topics ranging from medicine , ethics , philosophy , history and religion , to shona custom , religion and culture , with titles including...