Illness among Jews: Difference between revisions
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As a highly [[endogamy|endogamous]] group, with highly distinct cultural practices, '''illness among Jews''' often differs from that among non-Jews in its frequency and impact. Historical sources state that certain diseases and illnesses were more frequent among Jews than among the general population, at least prior to the late 20th century. It was argued that [[endogamy in Judaism|institutional endogamy]] was been a major contributor to these statistics<ref name="JewEncIns">{{Jewish Encyclopedia|article=Insanity|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?letter=I&artid=149}}</ref>, as well as behaviour due to Jewish cultural norms<ref name="JewEncMor">{{Jewish Encyclopedia|article=Morbidity|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=763&letter=M}}</ref>. On the other hand, greater [[Immunity (medical)|immunity]], and lower [[morbidity]], is shown for a few illnesses<ref name="JewEncMor" />. In modern medicine, the [[medical genetics of Jews]] have been intensively studied. |
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==History== |
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=== Infectious disease === |
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A number of infectious diseases were thought to be rarer among Jewish populations in the 19th and early 20th centuries.<ref name="JewEncMor" /> In 1505, in Europe, there was an epidemic of [[typhoid fever]], but Jews were unaffected by it<ref name="JewEncMor" />; 19th century Typhoid epidemics also show a higher level of resistance among Jews, which though not quite as remarkable, in some cases produced a morbidity that was half that of non-Jews<ref name="JewEncMor" />. |
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[[Tuberculosis]], historically, was rare among the Jews, and even for those who did catch it, [[mortality]] was less frequent<ref name="JewEncTub">{{Jewish Encyclopedia|article=Consumption (Tuberculosis)|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=751&letter=C}}</ref>. Explanations of this tend to suggest a connection to Jewish behaviour, such as [[kosher food|careful inspection of meat]]<ref name="JewEncTub" />, or the cleaning of surfaces with a damp cloth instead of a dusting brush (a brush would lifts more dust into the air)<ref name="JewEncTub" />, rather than genetic factors. |
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As for [[pneumonia]], the morbidity among Jews was drastically lower than among non-Jews<ref name="JewEncMor" />; in 19th century [[Verona, Italy]], for example, non-Jews suffering from the disease were 5 times more likely to die<ref name="JewEncMor" />. One explanation which has been offered is that Jews tend to have jobs which require them to stay indoors, meaning that they are not exposed as much to inclement weather<ref name="JewEncMor" />. |
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In the 19th century, [[childhood disease]], such as [[diptheria]] and [[measles]], proved to be less fatal to Jewish children than to non-Jews, except in [[Amsterdam]], where they were three times more dangerous<ref name="JewEncMor" />. [[Scarlet fever]] appears to have affected Jews more or less the same as the rest of the population<ref name="JewEncMor" />. Curiously though, Jewish children suffered less from [[diarrhea]]-causing diseases, than their non-Jewish peers, even if they were living in the worst excesses of [[Victorian]] squalor<ref name="JewEncMor" />; in [[Budapest]], Jewish children were three times less likely to die from diarrhea-causing disease, than non-Jewish children, and similar resistance to such disease was seen among Jewish children in other cities<ref name="JewEncMor" />. |
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[[Syphilis]], a [[sexually transmitted disease]] which is now quite rare, but was somewhat more common in the 19th century, was then quite rare among Jews<ref name="JewEncMor" />. For example, in one hospital in a Jewish area of 19th century London, there were 15 times as many cases of syphilis in non-Jews than in Jews, despite nearly a quarter of the hospital's patients being Jewish<ref name="JewEncMor" />. In America the discrepancy was even more extreme, with less than 1% of the patients in a Jewish hospital having syphilis, despite nearly 12% of the general American population having the disease<ref name="JewEncMor" />. |
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===Gastro-intestinal illness=== |
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[[Dyspepsia|Indigestion]] and [[hyperchlorhydria]] were very common among Jews, and nearly half of all victorian Jews suffering from [[cancer]] were likely to be suffering from [[gastrointestinal cancer]], despite this being the case for only a quarter of non-Jews. |
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In the 19th century, medical professionals put this down to poor eating habits, such as [[workaholic]] behaviour, and habitually eating food on a [[Shabbat]] which had been kept warm in an oven for the previous 12–24 hours (due to [[Activities prohibited on Shabbat|the traditional obligation to avoid cooking during the Shabbat]])<ref name="JewEncMor" />. In 19th century Italy, Jews were more likely to die from gastro-intestinal illness, than non-Jews were; it has been suggested that this might be connected to the popularity, among Jews living there, of eating fatty foods, despite the warm climate<ref name="JewEncMor" />. However, it is now known that genetic factors are responsible for |
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many of these issues (indigestion not being one of them). |
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=== Disease of the circulatory system === |
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Among 19th century Americans, Jews were twice as likely as non-Jews to die from circulatory disease<ref name="JewEncMor" />; chronic [[rheumatism]] was frequent among Jews, and they were much more likely than non-Jews to die from it<ref name="JewEncMor" />. [[Intermittent claudication]], due to severe [[atherosclerosis]], is more frequent in Jews than in non-Jews, especially in 19th century Russia<ref name="JewEncMor" />. Fatal [[stroke]]s were twice as common among 19th century Italian Jews, than among non-Jews in Italy during the same period<ref name="JewEncApo">{{Jewish Encyclopedia|article=Apoplexy|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1653&letter=A}}</ref>; the reverse appears to have been the case in 19th century Russia and [[Poland]]<ref name="JewEncApo" />. |
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Especially common among Jews are [[varicose veins]]. A symptom of this is to have [[haemorrhoids]], which are more common among Jews than any other ethnic group<ref name="JewEncMor" />. In fact, in 19th century eastern Europe, ''the Jew with haemorrhoids'' was a proverbial saying, and it was considered highly unusual for a [[Hasidic Jew]], in [[Galicia]] or [[Poland]], to not have haemorrhoids<ref name="JewEncMor" />. Although it is rare for young people in general to suffer haemorrhoids, it is somewhat frequent for young Jews to be treated for the condition<ref name="JewEncMor" />; 19th century doctors considered it rare for a Jew to pass middle age without suffering from the problem<ref name="JewEncMor" />. The Jewish community of Eastern Europe argued that the prevalence of haemorrhoids, among Jews, stemmed from the Jewish habit of spending most of the day sitting on hard benches, while studying the Talmud<ref name="JewEncMor" />. |
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[[Haemophilia]] is also more frequent among Jews than among non-Jews; this may have been the case in the classical era, as the [[Talmud]] argues that a boy must '''not''' be [[circumcision|circumcised]], if he has two brothers (from the same mother) who have died as a result of being circumcised<ref name="JewEncMor" />. |
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=== Mental and nervous disease === |
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In the early 20th century it was thought that Jews suffered more from functional [[Nervous Diseases|nervous disease]], than degenerative nervous disease<ref name="JewEncNer">{{Jewish Encyclopedia|article=Nervous Diseases|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?letter=N&artid=193}}</ref>; the most serious degenerative diseases of the brain and spinal cord, etc., are far more frequent among non-Jews than among Jews<ref name="JewEncNer" />. It is thought this is connected to the rarity of alcoholism and syphilis among Jews<ref name="JewEncNer" />. |
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In the 19th century, [[Neurasthenia]], a condition no longer recognised in Western medicine (although it may somewhat correspond to [[dysautonomia]]), was frequently attributed to Jews<ref name="JewEncNer" />; in New York, 40% of people diagnosed with Neurasthenia were Jewish<ref name="JewEncNer" />. [[Hysteria]] was very frequent among 19th century Jews, particularly in [[Warsaw]]<ref name="JewEncNer" />; unlike most ethnic groups, where there is a large gender imbalance in the frequency of hysteria, it was quite common among male Jews<ref name="JewEncNer" />. In general, Neurasthenia was most frequently diagnosed among bankers, and financial traders, which were popular occupations for Jews<ref name="JewEncNer" />. It was suggested that the prevalence of hysteria among Jews was due to the anti-semitic persecution, to which Jewish communities had historically been subjected<ref name="JewEncNer" />. |
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[[Hydrocephalus|Water on the brain]] seems to be less fatally frequent among Jews than among non-Jews; in 19th century [[Hungary]] young children were 3 times more likely to die from it if they were not Jewish<ref name="JewEncNer" />. [[Locomotor ataxia]], a major disease in the 19th century, was four times more frequent among non-Jews than among Jews<ref name="JewEncNer" />; this may be due to the rarity of syphilis among Jews, since locomotor ataxia is often a symptom of advanced syphilis<ref name="JewEncNer" />. However, [[Parkinson's disease]] was particularly frequent among Jews in the 19th century<ref name="JewEncNer" /><!--under the name "paralysis agitans" in this source-->; in [[Austro-Hungary]] 32% of victims of the disease were Jewish, despite Jews being a mere 4% of the population<ref name="JewEncNer" />. |
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In 19th century England and Wales, there were 60% more hospital admissions, among Jews, for ''general [[paralysis]]'', than among non-Jews<ref name="JewEncIns" />. By contrast, in 19th century Russia, there were six times ''less'' hospital admissions for the illness, among Jews, than among non-Jews<ref name="JewEncIns" />. It was suggested that the Russian figures might be due to the fact that 65% of the people, admitted there for this illness, had previously suffered [[syphilis]], which was a comparatively rare disease among Russian Jews<ref name="JewEncIns" />. As for the figures in England and Wales, it was suggested that the statistic might be related to the tendency of Jews, in that period and location, to choose a particular type of occupation - merchant, stockbroker, etc.<ref name="JewEncIns" />. |
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===Mental illness=== |
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Statistics from the early 20th century suggested that mental illness was proportionately more common among people of Jewish ancestry than among the wider population<ref name="JewEncIns" />; and relapse was twice as frequently observed among Jews, than among non-Jews<ref name="JewEncIns" />. Statistics suggest that in the 19th century, an ethnic Jew was 4 to 6 times more liable to suffer mental illness than a non-Jew<ref name="JewEncIns" /><ref>G. Buschan, ''Einfluss der Rasse auf die Form und Häufigkeit Pathologischer Veränderugen''. in Globus 67:21, 67:43, 67:60, 67:76</ref>. In 19th century [[London]], it was approximately three times more common for Jewish women to become insane after [[childbirth|giving birth]], than it was for non-Jews<ref name="JewEncIns" /><ref name="BeadlesInsane">M. Beadles, ''The Insane Jew'', in ''The Journal of Mental Science'', volume 26, pages 731-737</ref>. Also, the average age (37) for a Jew to become insane was earlier, in a statistically significant way, than the average age (43) for the onset of insanity in non-Jews<ref name="JewEncIns" /><ref name="BeadlesInsane" />. |
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The victorians observed that Jews were more susceptible to acute [[psychosis]], of the kinds that afflict younger people, than were non-Jews<ref name="JewEncIns" />. On the other hand, among Jews it was more likely for insanity to take the form of [[melancholia]] than that of [[mania]], and [[antisocial personality disorder]] was comparatively rare<ref name="JewEncIns" />. Nevertheless, alcohol-induced insanity was comparatively rare among Jews, in the 19th century; in New York, for example, only 5% of the Jewish inmates in the insane asylum had alcoholism, a statistic repeated elsewhere in the world<ref name="JewEncIns" />. |
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===Eye diseases=== |
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In the early 20th century, it was thought that, of the diseases of the eye, that Jewish people suffer more than others from |
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*[[trachoma]]<ref name="JewEncMor" /> |
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*[[follicular conjunctivitis]]<ref name="JewEncMor" /> |
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*[[glaucoma]]<ref name="JewEncMor" /> |
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*[[retinitis pigmentosa]]<ref name="JewEncMor" />. This disease, which eventually leads to total blindness, is hereditary, thus its greater frequency among Jews has been attributed to endogamy<ref name="JewEncMor" />. |
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*cancer of the [[Nasolacrimal duct|tear duct]]<ref name="JewEncEye">{{Jewish Encyclopedia|article=Eye|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=557&letter=E&search=eye#5}}</ref>. This is attributed to an anatomical feature somewhat peculiar to ethnic Jews - a narrow [[nasal canal]]<ref name="JewEncEye" /> |
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*[[blepharitis]]<ref name="JewEncEye" /> |
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These diseases (apart from blepharitis, which just makes the [[eyelash]]es fall out, and sometimes causes an unsightly distortion in the [[eyelid]]), if uncorrected, can lead to [[blindness]]<ref name="JewEncEye" />. Hence blindness was more common among Jews than among most non-Jews<ref name="JewEncBli">{{Jewish Encyclopedia|article=Blindness|url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1141&letter=B}}</ref>. The Jews of America, and of its ex-patriots (and their descendants), are an exception to this, as historically stringent immigration laws prevented blind people from entering the country<ref name="JewEncBli" />. |
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==Modern medical genetics== |
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In modern medicine, the [[medical genetics]] of various Jewish populations have been studied. Indeed, Jews are over-represented in the medical literature on inherited diseases, since their relatively high level of [[Endogamy|endogamy]] and large, well-documented populations aid genetic studies.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Carmeli DB |title=Prevalence of Jews as subjects in genetic research: figures, explanation, and potential implications |journal=Am. J. Med. Genet. A |volume=130A |issue=1 |pages=76–83 |year=2004 |month=September |pmid=15368499 |doi=10.1002/ajmg.a.20291}}</ref> Several [[genetic disorder]]s that commonly occur in [[Ashkenazi Jews]] have been identified, including [[Tay-Sachs disease]], [[Usher syndrome]] and [[Congenital deafness]].<ref name=Ostrer/> |
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In contrast to the Ashkenazi population, [[Sephardic Jews|Sephardic]] and [[Oriental Jews]] are much more divergent groups, with ancestors from Spain, Morocco, Tunisia, Spain, Italy, Lybia, the Balkans, Iran, Iraq, India and Yemen.<ref name=Ostrer>{{cite journal |author=Ostrer H |title=A genetic profile of contemporary Jewish populations |journal=Nat. Rev. Genet. |volume=2 |issue=11 |pages=891–8 |year=2001 |month=November |pmid=11715044 |doi=10.1038/35098506}}</ref> Consequently there are no genetic disorders that are more common in these groups as a whole; instead they tend to have genetic diseases that reflect their various countries of origin: such as [[Iran|Iranian]] Jews suffering from [[Inclusion body myopathy]] or [[Morocco|Moroccan]] Jews suffering from higher rates of [[Oculocutaneous albinism]].<ref name=Rosner>{{cite journal |author=Rosner G, Rosner S, Orr-Urtreger A |title=Genetic testing in Israel: an overview |journal=Annu Rev Genomics Hum Genet |volume=10 |issue= |pages=175–92 |year=2009 |pmid=19453249 |doi=10.1146/annurev.genom.030308.111406}}</ref><ref name=Ostrer/> |
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==See also== |
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*[[Jew]] |
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*[[Genetic predisposition]] |
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**[[Founder effect]] |
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*[[Occupational disease]] |
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*[[Disease]] |
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**[[Tay-Sachs disease]] |
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**[[Familial dysautonomia]] |
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*[[Morbidity]] |
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*[[Finnish heritage disease]] |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Illness Among Jews}} |
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[[Category:Jews]] |
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[[Category:Health]] |
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[[Category:Deaths from disease]] |
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[[Category:Occupational diseases]] |
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[[Category:Culture-specific syndromes]] |
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[[Category:History of medicine]] |
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Revision as of 16:33, 25 November 2009
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