The Origins of Formal Jewish Education in the United States
Today, thankfully, there are hundreds of Jewish elementary schools in the United States that teach both Judaic and general studies. The paradigm for this movement was the founding of…
Jewish Work in Diabetes
Not so long ago, diabetes was often thought of as a “Jewish disease.” This was before doctors and scientists understood genetics. The idea of diabetes as a “Jewish disease” also…
Coco Koller and Cocaine
Today is National Doctors Day. Because the date, March 30th, was chosen in honor of the day on which the first general anesthesia, a dose of ether, was used in surgery in 1842, Jewish…
Houston Healthcare
Many cities have Jewish hospitals, but only Houston has a Jewish Institute of Medical Research. In the 1950s, Houston’s Jewish community sought to create a medical facility that had a…
Wash and Dry
The miracles of modern science have made us aware of the vast world of micro-organisms that previous generations never knew existed. We now know that there are good bacteria that help us…
Shabbat Heroics
Question: What does a Sabbath-observant doctor do when a friend or neighbor needs emergency medical assistance on Shabbat? The answer: Everything necessary. Call an ambulance, cut a…
Shabbat Medicine
Twenty-first century medical technology has a pill for nearly every illness and ache. Even those who prefer alternative medicines often purchase their cures in liquid or pill form. Most…
Autopsy
Medical mystery thrillers--novels in which the mystery is often solved through autopsy--are very popular these days. But most autopsies do not set off thrilling adventures of sleuthing.…
Smokeout
As the world changes, the modern day sages must often reevaluate the application of Jewish law in order to correlate it with the findings of contemporary medicine. One of the best…
Shabbat Heroics
Question: What does a Sabbath-observant doctor do when a friend or neighbor needs emergency medical assistance on Shabbat? The answer: Everything necessary. Call an ambulance, cut a…