Language:
German
Year of publication:
2019
Titel der Quelle:
Aschkenas; Zeitschrift für Geschichte und Kultur der Juden
Angaben zur Quelle:
29,1 (2019) 27-41
Keywords:
Antisemitism History 19th century
;
Leprosy History
;
Physicians Attitudes
;
Communicable diseases Transmission
;
Jews Diseases
;
Diseases Terminology
Abstract:
In the first half of the 19th century, based on a misunderstanding and misinterpretation of biblical texts, several German physicians transformed the phenomenon named "Zara'at" in Hebrew into a specific disease called "Lepra Hebraeorum", "Lepra Judeorum" or "Lepra Mosaica". The authors applied traditional anti-Semitic stereotypes in order to explain the origins of this fictitious hereditary illness, which was said to befall Jews especially and to be transmitted by them to Non-Jewish populations. The genesis of "Lepra Hebraeorum" was completed by Christian ideas of the disease, linking leprosy to a sinful lifestyle and lust. However, in Jewish conceptions "Zara'at" never has been connected to sin or even to disease. It was rather regarded as a warning or punishment for derogatory speech. Soon after the discovery of "Mycobacterium leprae" in 1873 any reference to "Lepra Hebraeorum" disappeared from German medical writings.
DOI:
10.1515/asch-2019-0003
URL:
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