The William Sydney Thayer and Susan Read Thayer lectures in clinical medicine : Lecture 1, The hereditary factor in some diseases of the haemopoietic system. Lecture 2, Some diseases in the Jewish race / by Sir Humphry Rolleston Bart., K.C.B., M.D., Regius Professor of Physic in the University of Cambridge.

  • Rolleston, Humphry Davy, Sir, 1862-1944
Date:
[1928?]
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Licence: In copyright

Credit: The William Sydney Thayer and Susan Read Thayer lectures in clinical medicine : Lecture 1, The hereditary factor in some diseases of the haemopoietic system. Lecture 2, Some diseases in the Jewish race / by Sir Humphry Rolleston Bart., K.C.B., M.D., Regius Professor of Physic in the University of Cambridge. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    MALIGNANT DISEASE It does not appear that the cancer mortality is lower among Jews than other races; indeed in Russia Gantt’s enquiries show that it is higher than in gentiles; but there is much evidence collected by Fish- berg, Theilhaber, and Vineberg that uterine cancer, especially of the cervix, is rare in Jewesses. This has been ascribed to observance of the Mosaic law limiting co-habitation during and for seven days after menstruation, and for a period after child-birth, thus ensuring freedom from irritation of the parts when in a state of congestion; Vineberg, who gives this explanation, found that at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, uterine cancer was times commoner among non-Jewish than among Jewish women. On the other hand malignant growths of the stomach and alimentary canal are frequent, perhaps more so than in gentiles; the same has been said about mammary carcinoma, but Dr. W. M. Feldman has told me that he has some statistical evi¬ dence pointing to the lower incidence of mammary cancer among Jewesses who suckle their children, thus suggesting that when the natural activities of the gland are balked proliferation in a malignant direction is likely to follow. It is interesting to note that among Mexican women of mixed blood the incidence is almost the reverse to that in the case of Jewesses, for uterine cancer is very common and mammary carcinoma rare (Hoffman). TUBERCULOSIS The comparative resistance of the Jews to tuberculosis, in spite of adverse environment, life in towns, their narrow chest measurement which would be thought to dispose them to the disease, and their special liability to diabetes which may terminate with pulmonary tuberculosis, has been proved by statistics from various parts of the world by shewing that their mortality rate is lower than that of their gentile neighbours. Even after the privations of the Great War tuberculosis appears to have run a milder course in Jews than in other races (Werner). It is important to realize that whereas the mortality rate amongst Jews is much lower than in Gentiles, this is not true of their morbidity rate. Various hypotheses have been put forward to explain the resistance