Harpur made several contributions with regard to accessibility, establishment, and administration of medicine in the form of dispensaries and hospitals.

[1] He was raised as an Anglican Christian in Ireland by his father Thomas Bernard Harpur and his mother Jane Law.

Fitzgerald acted as an aide and assistant for Harpur’s medical services and was an active leader in the locally established churches.

Eventually, Nour disappeared from the Harpur family and it is rumored he was taken by the people of Cairo to be converted back to Islam from Christianity.

In 1885, Harpur began aiding mission leaders, providing insight and support, and administering medicine in the city of Hodeida in Yemen.

[7] Harpur’s work consisted of orchestrating medical support clinics, aiding government dispensaries, and teaching lessons of Christianity and the Bible to local residents.

Harpur gave daily Bible lessons to his son Nour and provided various communities with printed copies of prayer in the local language.

On March 1, 1892, he traveled to England with Mrs. Harpur to support her recovery, and returned to Egypt in October 1893 to resume charge of the medical mission in Old Cairo.

His desire to conduct this mission stemmed from the greater need for medical care outside of Old Cairo, particularly in smaller, less developed villages along the Nile.

During his journey along the Nile, Harpur provided medical care along a small canal near the village of El Bagour in the Province of Monufia.

Even with grave troubles in life, such as his wife’s sickness and death, Harpur remained resolute and dedicated to his work.

He laid the foundation for future missionaries that built upon his creations and left a lasting effect on local and global health.