School of medicine was established at Abi Zaabal and annexed to the military hospital there in 1827 thanks to the efforts of Clute Bek, a French physician, and a fatwa that was issued by sheikh Hasan El-Attar, in which he allowed anatomizing dead bodies as long as this prevent diseases.

In 1837, the school of medicine was transferred to Kasr El-Aini at Cairo where the hospital accommodated over thousand patients, and it also accommodated 300 students. It included a library that was rich with French books which were given to it as present. Its graduates played a great role in Arabizing essential references in medicine.

In 1854, Mohamed Said Pasha stopped the study in the school of medicine; however, he kept its staff members. Soon the study was resumed at the school in 1856 and it was in Arabic. It was divided into six partitions of oral exams. The most distinctive students were dispatched abroad to join teaching staff after their return. Efforts of Arabizing medical references continued throughout Ismail's era. Starting by 1898, the period of study became four years (were increased three months afterwards). School of medicine made agreement with Royal College of Surgeons in London on admitting students of first two years, especially that study in school of medicine became in English since British occupation. In 1919, period of study became five years and three months, starting in October and ending in June every year.