The World Congress of Jewish Physicians is to be held during a very difficult period for the Jewish population. Grim reactionary policies and their sibling, anti-Semitism, pose a growing threat to all the beautiful ideas that humanity has created over the centuries. In the struggle between progress and reaction the whole world is experiencing in these uncertain times, the Jewish population is becoming a target of assault and attack.

Jewish doctors suffer most from bestial, inflammatory anti-Semitism. In countries where hatred and hostility have reached a peak, as for example in Germany, the world of Jewish physicians has been destroyed – annihilated in the full sense of the word. In other countries where similar phenomena are a bit lighter, the atmosphere surrounding Jewish doctors has been poisoned. Various inventions and lies about Jewish doctors that were disseminated in different European countries in the Middle Ages are being revived. This serious moment requires Jewish physicians to reflect on the role they are playing in the present and the role that they have played in the distant past. This very difficult situation requires that Jewish doctors create a well organized body to resist any attacks on them and to force all doctors to consider their past more seriously. If we accept the thesis that relations with Jews can be measured by the degree of progress in a given country, we could paraphrase it and say that where there are attacks against Jewish physicians, there is a great danger approaching for the entire Jewish nation. We have many such examples in history confirming this thesis. Let us, however, move on from these general considerations to the relevant issue that is the subject of our consideration.

Errors of Previous Research

Prior to engaging in a study plan, we should explain the issues related to our current research. The first and most important mistake up until now has been that we have had no plan. One can rightly say that it was accidental whether this or another issue was clarified in the past. Most articles on the history of Jewish physicians and Jewish medicine were written either as a segment of extensive writings covering specific periods of general medical history, or writings about various Jewish communities. For sure one can justify the reasons for this fact − from the beginning of nineteenth century, there were no independent studies in the archives of health care by Jewish physicians.

About the Possibility of Specialized Research on the History of Jewish Medicine

We believe that specialized – not accidental – research on Jewish physicians of the past is possible. There are various records of surnames and archival materials in many archives, though they are not arranged systematically. Making use of these resources could yield a great deal of information.

I do not think it is necessary to clarify how important it is to create a specialty in the field of research on the history of Jewish physicians. A historian, an expert on medical issues, will know how to use this information as part of a general framework of knowledge, especially in the field of medicine. He will also know how to combine it with other information concerning Jewish physicians and how to create on this groundwork the correct image of Jewish medicine in the past.

Commission for Research of the World Union

Based on what was said above, I suggest the following:

1. 1. The World Union of Jewish Historians should establish a Commission for research on the history of Jewish physicians and medicine among the Jews.

2. 2. The Commission should consist of historians and physicians.

3. 3. The Commission should develop a detailed plan for research on the issues mentioned above.

The Content of Other Proposals

The study, which will be conducted under the direction of the Commission, should include the following topics:

1. 1) the history of Jewish physicians during specific historical times;

2. 2) the history of Jewish pharmacists and army surgeons;

3. 3) the history of Jewish health care, such as hospitals, social welfare societies, such as Linas Hatzedek, Bikur Cholim,Footnote ¹ and other activities of the Jewish community in the field of social hygiene;

4. 4) folk medicine in the broadest sense of the term;

5. 5) literature on medicine and on popular healing practices among Jews;

6. 6) folklore about Jewish doctors and Jewish medicine;

7. 7) terminological aspects of medical expressions.

The International Scope of these Studies

Research concerning medicine among Jews cannot be limited to one country. Only research carried out on a worldwide scale will provide us with a correct and accurate picture of the past. For example, if we want to examine the history of famous Jewish physicians in Poland, resources from the Polish archives will not suffice because Jewish physicians who were famous in Poland came largely from other countries. Jewish doctors of the past led a truly nomadic life, practicing medicine in different countries. In those times there were no limits, even for those doctors who came from Poland and stayed in the country where they finished their studies. Therefore to become familiar with the cultural environment of Polish-Jewish physicians, one should look for sources in foreign universities.

Registers and Sources Related to the History of Medicine among Jews

In order to carry out research on Jewish science worldwide and the development of medicine among Jews, it is necessary to publish the source materials of various countries. These publications must include the following source materials:

1. a) of archives,

2. b) of questions and answers;Footnote ²

3. c) of rare old books etc.,

4. d) of anti-Semitic writers.

These publications should include important original documents and records that reflect the overall legal position of Jewish physicians, special privileges for individuals, files showing the important role of Jewish physicians in public life, files concerning the relations between Jewish doctors and their patients, and other documents.

The questions and answers are very important sources that were initially underestimated and not even used at all in previous writings about medicine among Jews. Publication of this kind of data that is related to medicine would reveal many interesting details about physicians in the past, and, more importantly, about popular medical practices.

Translations of rare, old written works on medicine, or important illustrations showing the old way of life would significantly enrich our knowledge of folk medicine. The best evidence of this is the work published by Noach Prylucki, Sefer refu'ot by Dr. Markuze.Footnote ³

Anti-Semitic literature dealing with prophecies and superstitions of the Christian population in relation to the Jewish population also contains an interesting contribution to the history of Jewish medicine.

Bibliography

One of the important tasks is to develop an adequate bibliography containing all that has been published on the history of medicine among Jews. Setting up the bibliography is the beginning of any research on the history of medicine among Jews. The bibliography will fill gaps present in this field. It will enable beginning the second phase of research, research of a synthetic character that will show us a picture of the development of medicine among Jews in different countries. The bibliography will allow us to compare the legal situation of Jewish physicians in different countries and study the attitude of the Christian population towards Jewish doctors, the anti-Semitic literature on Jewish physicians, and the activities of Jewish communities, social medicine, etc.

All these issues can be examined in a similar manner and will allow historians to obtain an accurate picture of medicine among Jews. The bibliography should include the following:

1. 1. writings and articles from Jewish and non-Jewish periodicals, devoted to research done by Jewish doctors in the field of medicine;

2. 2. writings and articles of Jewish and non-Jewish periodicals, devoted to the history of medicine among Jews;

3. 3. notes about medicine among Jews and writings or articles that deal with other, non-medical issues.

The implementation of this third issue will not always be possible, since it is linked to severe difficulties and will require a major investment.

The Archive of Medicine among Jews

Jewish physicians were among the first to establish contact with their colleagues in various countries around the world. But this is not the place to deal with this issue of organizing Jewish physicians on a worldwide scale. Perhaps it is no coincidence that it is only the Jewish physician who embodies those universal principles. We should perhaps look for an answer to the question of the significance of the leadership role of a unique worldwide intelligentsia among contemporary Jewish physicians. It is true that nowadays the situation has changed very much: the Jewish physician in general, as well as the entire Jewish intelligentsia, is assimilated and is now separated from the everyday worries and needs of the Jewish masses. However, there are leaders of this movement who would like to introduce physicians to socio-medical activities.

A World Archive of Jewish Medicine

The archive will store:

1. 1) all dissertations, books, articles, etc. about Jewish physicians, people's health, folk medicine, and other issues;

2. 2) all writings, dissertations, articles, etc. written by Jewish physicians on subjects of general interest;

3. 3) photographs, paintings, letters, and other documents on Jewish physicians, statutes, various prints, and other artefacts from Jewish medical institutions;

4. 4) diaries or any documentation of the socio-medical character of associations, such as Linas Hatzedek. In short: the archive should reflect all the activities of Jewish doctors and of socio-medical institutions in the past and the present.

The Magazine of the World Union of Jewish Physicians

To create close contact between Jewish physicians and other activists in the field of social medicine, a worldwide press agency of the Union should be created. Such a journal should present, in general, research conducted by Jewish physicians into various problems related to social medicine. Original Jewish research related to general medical issues should not be excluded, but primarily it would be desirable that medical matters related to Jewish life be given space immediately on the pages of the journal. General medical problems can find their place in magazines and publications devoted to general medicine. At present, there exists no platform in the press for matters concerning Jewish life.

The second area which should have an important place in this journal must be the history of medicine among Jews. Materials and documents should be published in addition to articles. Along with reports and articles of organizational character, a box containing a current bibliography and reviews on everything that currently appears on Jewish medicine should be created. Also the reports of the Archive should be posted in the journal.

A Dictionary of Jewish Physicians

One of the first tasks of the World Union of Jewish Physicians should be to publish an international dictionary of Jewish physicians. This kind of dictionary, covering all the Jewish physicians before the eighteenth century and all known practitioners during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries would be the best testimony to the achievements of Jewish physicians in the field of medicine. It is clear that our purposes are not apologetic. Publication of the dictionary would greatly enrich our understanding not only of Jewish physicians, but also of medicine among Jews in general. The dictionary will include not only physicians who are outstanding in the field of medicine, but also those in the field of social work, literature, and other activities. It could also include the names of authors of medical or popular-medical writings who may not have finished their higher education. There is no doubt that they have enriched both general and Jewish knowledge by popularizing much information from the field of medical and hygienic care among the Jewish population.

Occasional Surveys of the History of Jewish Medicine

The state of research on the subject of the history of medicine among Jews is still quite pathetic. Only when the archives have been examined and when appropriate data from writings and other sources have been gathered, will it be possible to publish a Jewish medical encyclopedia. Today, on the basis of what has already been examined in individual countries, it is possible to produce overall, but temporary, surveys of the history of medicine among Jews in various countries. The World Union of Jewish Physicians should proceed very quickly to give notice of this kind of publication.

This would certainly be the beginning of further research and thus it would have a great importance.