Family and early years

Tofig Jamal oglu Mammadov was born on 11 January 1937 in the settlement of Gonagkend, Guba District. He worked as a surgeon at Gonagkend Settlement Hospital from 1970 and served as its chief physician from 1973 to 1999. His medical career, spanning nearly thirty years, was devoted to providing care to the residents of Gonagkend and the surrounding villages.

His father, Jamal Alif oglu Mammadov, worked in the land department. His mother, Tavat Feyzulla gizi Mammadova, was a homemaker and came from a family of Beys. Tofig had eight brothers: Balammad, Hajibaba, Mammad, Gulam, Shahshah, Mighdad, Azad and Ibrahim.

He was an excellent pupil at the school named after Aslan Aslanov in Gonagkend, where he completed his secondary education in 1954.

Military service and initial medical training

Tofig Mammadov performed compulsory military service in Moldova, Chisinau from 25 November 1957 to 17 February 1960. He took the military oath on 15 January 1958.

From 25 December 1957 to 1 December 1958, he attended the medical sergeants’ school of the Odessa Military District and qualified as a medical orderly instructor. He earned high grades in anatomy and physiology, pharmacology and practical training.

He was involved in a road accident during his military service and received a pension certificate in connection with the accident in 1961. He later continued his education while working.

The path to medicine

His choice of a medical career was influenced by his paternal aunt, Gulsahar, who practised traditional medicine. To fulfil her wish, he applied to the Azerbaijan Medical Institute for five consecutive years and was admitted in 1964.

Before entering higher education, he worked in various jobs and undertook additional technical college training in cookery and cinema projection at Baku. He was also interested in music and studied the tar.

From 1962 to 1964, he worked as a rigger at a boiler and mechanical engineering plant in Baku. His trade union membership card was issued on 29 November 1962. On 20 December 1963, he passed an occupational safety assessment with a grade of “good”.

At the Azerbaijan Medical Institute

He entered the Faculty of General Medicine at the Azerbaijan Medical Institute in 1964 and completed the six-year course in 1970. The State Examination Commission awarded him the qualification of physician on 30 June 1970, and his diploma was issued on 15 July.

His teachers at the institute included the ophthalmologist Zarifa Aliyeva, cardiologist Mustafa Topchubashov, and Alfaddin Abdullayev. Tofig Mammadov also contributed to medical science during his student years and subsequent medical career. After graduation, he returned to Gonagkend and began working as a surgeon at the settlement hospital in 1970. He became chief physician in 1973 and led the hospital for the next twenty-six years, serving the settlement and surrounding villages.

He received the military medical service ranks of junior lieutenant on 9 July 1970, lieutenant on 29 September 1972 and senior lieutenant on 26 August 1976. Throughout these years, he worked at Gonagkend Hospital.

Medical practice in Gonagkend

Readers’ letters published in “Shafag” during the 1970s thanked Tofig Mammadov for answering emergency calls and treating patients.

On 10 February 1973, “Shafag” published a letter from Nemat Osmanov of Khashi village. His son Baymahammad, a third-grade pupil, had suffered a serious forehead injury after being struck by a horse. When Gonagkend Hospital received the call, T. Mammadov went to the child, administered first aid and took him to hospital. Baymahammad recovered and returned to school. He visited patients in remote villages, helped families in financial difficulty and supported young doctors. Over the course of his career, he helped hundreds of patients recover.

A. Omarov of Khaltan and A. Amirahmadov thanked him in a digest of readers’ letters entitled “Bless Your Hands!” Further letters of gratitude came from A. Jafarov in January 1976 and B. Ismayilov of Garavulustu village in February.

Public service and regard for nature

Tofig Mammadov gave lectures through the Guba branch of the Bilik (Knowledge) Society. His membership card was issued on 5 January 1976. He also received various awards and certificates of honour.

He loved nature, particularly trees, and opposed their being cut down. He was a member of the Nature Conservation Society.

He also held membership in DOSAAF in 1965 and participated in the consumer cooperative in 1974.

Family life and later years

In 1972, he married Nagima Seyfaddin gizi Mammadova, a carpet weaver. They had six children: Uzeyir, Nasimi, Khagani, Shahin, Shahla and Shahnaz.

His brother Gulam Jamal oglu died in 1974. The staff of Gonagkend Settlement Hospital and Ruk Village District Hospital published condolence notices in "Shafag".

A letter dated 7 June 1974 concerns his application for a Moskvich-412 car.

He received a Group III disability certificate on 25 August 1986 and joined the Azerbaijan Society of Disabled Persons in 1989. His membership card was issued on 15 February 1990, with dues recorded for 1990 and 1991.

Final months

Illness forced Tofig Mammadov to step down as chief physician in 1999. He handed over the leadership of the hospital to Sevil Rushani Movlud gizi. His grandson, Ulvi Mammadov Uzeyir oglu, was born on 1 November 1999. Ulvi was the only grandchild he saw during his lifetime. He suffered a heart attack on 14 January 2000 and remained under Sevil Rushani’s care until July. Tofig Jamal oglu Mammadov died on 27 July 2000 at the age of sixty-three and was buried in Pirabanovsha Cemetery in Gonagkend, Guba District.

His career in Gonagkend spanned nearly thirty years, from his first appointment as a surgeon to his retirement as chief physician.

Newspaper accounts

The following passages and condolence notices from "Shafag" have been translated into English.

A letter about a patient’s recovery

"Shafag", 10 February 1973, No. 18 (4534). “Thanks, Appreciation and Complaints” — a digest of readers’ letters.

In a letter from Nemat Osmanov of Khashi village, we read: “My son Baymahammad had been struck by a horse, and his forehead was badly injured. The child’s life was in danger. We immediately informed Gonagkend Settlement Hospital. The surgeon T. Mammadov promptly came to the patient. After administering first aid, he took my son to hospital. The surgeon’s efforts were not in vain. My son, who is in the third grade, has now recovered and returned to school and his classmates.”

Bless your hands

"Shafag", approximately 1973. “Bless Your Hands!” — a digest of readers’ letters. The exact day, month and issue number are not visible in the surviving clipping.

A. Omarov (Khaltan) and A. Amirahmadov speak with gratitude of the kindness of T. Mammadov, surgeon at Gonagkend Settlement Hospital, while I. Babayeva (Girmizi Gasaba) expresses appreciation for the care shown by S. Seyfalova, T. Razumova and K. Sultanova, staff members of the tuberculosis dispensary.

Appreciation from Khaltan

"Shafag", 20 January 1976, No. 8 (4977). From readers’ letters.

Readers A. Jafarov (Khaltan) and R. Aliyev express their appreciation of T. Mammadov and M. Gahramanov, chief physicians of Gonagkend and Rustov village hospitals, while F. Mehdiyeva (Petropavlovka) expresses appreciation of I. Aghababayev, a doctor at Girmizi Gasaba Hospital.

Thanks from Garavulustu village

"Shafag", 12 February 1976, No. 18 (4987), page 2. “The Reader’s Voice — the People’s Word” column, “Thanks and Complaints”.

B. Ismayilov (Garavulustu) thanks T. Mammadov, chief physician of Gonagkend Settlement Hospital.

Condolences from Gonagkend Hospital

"Shafag", 21 March 1974, No. 33 (4699). Condolence notice.

The staff of Gonagkend Settlement Hospital express their sorrow and offer their deepest condolences to their colleague Tofig Mammadov on the untimely death of his loved one, GULAM Jamal OGLU.

Condolences from the staff of Ruk Hospital

"Shafag", 2 April 1974, No. 38 (4704). Condolence notice.

A. Guliyev, K. Maadov, N. Shirinov, K. Bayramaliyeva, S. Ayyubov, B. Barkhudarov and N. Nabiyev, employees of Ruk Village District Hospital, offer their deepest condolences to Tofig Mammadov, chief physician of Gonagkend Settlement Hospital, on the untimely death of his brother GULAM.

Archival Sources

[Azerbaijan Medical Institute diploma issued to Tofig Mammadov]. (1970, July 15). Mammadov family archive, private collection.

[Azerbaijan Medical Institute student identification card of Tofig Mammadov]. (n.d.). Mammadov family archive, private collection.

[Azerbaijan Society of Disabled Persons membership card of Tofig Mammadov, including membership and dues records for 1989–1991]. (1990, February 15). Mammadov family archive, private collection.

[Bilik Society membership card of Tofig Mammadov, Guba branch]. (1976, January 5). Mammadov family archive, private collection.

[Consumer cooperative membership card of Tofig Mammadov]. (1974, December 20). Mammadov family archive, private collection.

[DOSAAF membership card of Tofig Mammadov]. (1965). Mammadov family archive, private collection.

[Group III disability certificate issued to Tofig Mammadov]. (1986, August 25). Mammadov family archive, private collection.

[Military service booklet of Tofig Mammadov, including service, oath and rank entries]. (n.d.). Mammadov family archive, private collection.

[Nature Conservation Society membership card of Tofig Mammadov]. (n.d.). Mammadov family archive, private collection.

[Occupational safety certificate of Tofig Mammadov, Baku boiler and mechanical engineering plant]. (1963, December 20). Mammadov family archive, private collection.

[Passport issued to Tofig Mammadov by the Davachi District internal affairs authority]. (1971, December 6). Mammadov family archive, private collection.

[Pension certificate issued to Tofig Mammadov]. (1961). Mammadov family archive, private collection.

[Trade union membership card of Tofig Mammadov]. (1962, November 29). Mammadov family archive, private collection.

Note on additional sources

The biography also draws on family recollections, official correspondence, historical photographs and newspaper clippings preserved in the Mammadov family archive. Publication details for the newspaper extracts accompany the relevant passages. The dates and identities of some individuals in the group photographs remain undetermined.