A merkair lavish Periodical Carter

April 16, 1943

CLIFTON AVENUE - CINCINNATI 20, OHIO

DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE and The Legal Chronicle

5

JEWISH PHYSICIANS IN MEDIEVAL ENGLAND

of 1266, who has b wen mentioned is perilous and to adminis t er a
above.
remedy thereto. And whereas
By CECIL ROTH. PH .D.
Most of the medical practi- by the cure which we have sent
tioners of
England who him he is somewhat eased more
Editor's Note: An interesting account of the achievements and have been medieval
mentioned above are than by any other administered
status of Jewish physicians in medieval England which was today no more than names to us.
to him by any other person, he
written by Dr. Roth for "Medical Leaves," publication of There is, however, one who was hath requested me by express
Jewish physicians in this country.
of such prominence, who figures letters and through many high
•
40 often in the records of time,
Moritz
Steinschneider,
persons that I go thither in per-
the again the still-smoldering ra
Winter flying jackets for both the
ge. whose literary achievement was son, or else send him a sure
father of Hebrew bibliography, The Christians soon seized him so remarkable, and who played
substitute; for a man can do Army and Navy Air Corps are regu•
enumerated no fewer than 2,168 and made him the last victim so great a part in c
better by sight than by hearsay. lar equipment for our aviators. They
Jewish physicians who were in of Jewish insolence."
affairs , that it is possible to
- He hath written to you that you cost from $12 to $18 and are made of
practice between the Dark Ages
The name of this marty r t° cons tr
uct the picture
c
of hi
procure me a safe-conduct from horsehide leather lined with sheep
and the eighteenth century. His his people has not been pre-
and activities in greater delife
detail
t
our Lord, the Lord King. For shearling.
lists, however, are manifestly in- served; for it is in the busin
m any other me dic- my part, I should fear to go un-
ess than of alost
complete; and a systematic at- rolls that we have our fullest val Jewish personality.
tempt should be made to revise knowledge of medieval English Magister Eliao Master less you counsel it and let me
s, son of This was
and complete them. The results, Jewry. Thos, for example, in Moses of London (or. as he was have a letter of safe conduct.
I am confident, would be remark- the earliest name-list of the Jews known in Hebrew, Rabbi Elijah I am accordingly sending Abra-
able, and would help to demon- of London, dating from 1192, Manahem of Londres), the most ham Motun Fitz Benet, as in
strate in the eyes of the world giving a list of those whose pay- illustrious English Jew of the me lies, that you send courte-
the strength and continuity of ments to the great Guildford Middle Ages: born about 1220, ously to Sir Stephen de Penches-
that great tradition which im- Tallage of seven years before died 1284. He was a leader of ter (Justice of the Jews) that
beciles in our own day have en- were still in arrears, one of the English Jewry in his day, a not- he may search my men gently.
deavored to restrict or destroy. persons included is "Isaac, the able Talmudic authority, author that they bear with them nothing
I propose to demonstrate the Physician" (Ysaac Medicos), of several works which were long save their expenses only, for fear
of slanderers. Dear Lord, please
inadequacy of our present state while another is "Joseph ;
the studied by rabbinical experts, an
of knowledge on the subject by Physician's son" (Josce fil med- active business man whose trans- to conceal my needs from Aaron
selecting one small area and one ici), introducing us to yet an- actions extended over the whole fiz Vives. May our Lord accom-
Purchase of one $18.75 War Bond,
short period of medieval Eng- other London practitioner of an country, and a familiar figure at plish your desires for good.
The sequel to this correspond- .for which you receive $25 in 10
land, between the admission of earlier generation.
the Court of Henry III and his
the Jews at the close of the
Jewish physicians were not in son, Edward I. We know him ence, the Old French originals years, will pay for one of these jack-
eleventh century and their expul- practice in the capital city only. as it were in his shirt sleeves. were published by Joseph Jacobs ets so necessary for our airmen fly.
sion, two centuries after. Stein- The Pipe Roll of 1190 intro- We are acquainted with his gen- in the Revue des Etudes Juines, ling at high altitudes and in northern
schneider mentions barely a sin- duces us to a certain Joseph, the ealogy for half a dozen genera- xix, 256-261), may be traced in climes. So you and your neighbors
gle name which could serve our Physician, whose name is men- tions, the names and activities the Patent Rolls for 1280, in can do your bit by investing at least
purpose: I have been able to tioned without any qualification of his many brothers, the vicis- which we .'Intlthe text of a safe- in nercent of your salary every pay
bring together from various and who was perhaps not a Jew. situdes of his brood of children, conduct issued on Mar. 2nd for day In War Bonds to help pay the
sources nearly 20.
Neubauer, At York, in 1208, there seem the contents of his library, the Magister Elias, son of Moses, cost of this equipment for intrepid
Steinschneider's
Contemporary, to have been two Jews in med- location and architecture of his Jew of London, and Abraham American flyers. Join the parade,
Motun, Jew of the said Master and help top the War Bond Qunfa in
asserted in his monograph on the ical practice—Ursel
(Ursullus house, and even the way he made
Jews of Oxford, that in case of medicus; the name generally cor- Charoseth on Passover eve. I Elias, valid until the following :our county
necessity the English Jews had responds to Isaac, or sometimes have recently compiled a corn- June, to go to Flanders. Whether
to take recourse to Christian phy- Josiah), who is mentioned in con- prehensive account of his life Elias was responsible for it or
sicians; my notes will show that nection with a murder trial and and activities. Here, however, I not, the patient recovered and
the reverse was the case, and one Deodonatus medicus, prob- will deal with only one aspect lived until 1304. Elias returned up even for the Middle Period,
that in fact, Christians had re- ably Nathaniel, who is mentioned of them, for this distinguished occupation until his death, which between 1290 and 1655, when no
course to the Jews. The muster as a creditor of a local land- rabbi was at the same time an took place in the spring of 1284. Jews were supposed to live in
is all the more remarkable in owner. Towards the close of the eminent physician. We know of He left a considerable estate, a the country; a third, many times
view of the fact that for the century, Jacob medicus, Jew of the fact because, on more than numerous family, . and a great longer, for those of the Reset-
reputation.
first century of the period under York, figures in a business rec- one occasion, he was invited
tlement and Hanoverian periods.
by
Chance only has preserved us Those tasks must await another
consideration records are scanty, ord. Nor were the English Jews
John
Hainault,
nephew
of
the
this
uniquely
interesting
record
and in consequence, the names confined to one side of the med-
occasion. Meanwhile it cannot
which will be given here belong ical practice; for a couple of Count of Flanders, to cross the of his medical activity. It has be doubted that a similarly sys-
narrow
seas
to
attend
to
him.
enabled
us
to
round
off
our
sur-
tematic survey for other coun-
exclusively to a period of 100 years before this date we find
years, from 1190 to 1290. a record of Sampson, the sur- The correspondence relating to vey of the Jewish physicians of tries would produce equally re-
The first mention is typically geon (le cyrurgeon), Jew of this has been preserved. In the medieval England. This, indeed, markable results. The attempt
tragic. In 1190, the tiny corn- London. Physicians were also first place, there is a letter to is only part of the story. A list would certainly be worth the ef-
munity of Lynn (now King's designated by the title of Le Chancellor Robert Burnell, bishop no less impressive could be drawn fort.
of Bath and Wells, from John of
Lynn) in Norfolk, was attacked Mire; and we find Jacob le Mire,
Hainault himself, intimating that
10111,•111.11111.•11AB•T
by a crusading rabble, and its of York, perhaps identical with
he was ill, that he had heard
"NI "
Jewish community was extermin- the Jacob medicus mentioned
I
II inl".11111111
how "Maistre Elyes li Juis" of
MN
It
ated. "On the following day," above, Hak (— Isaac) le Mire,
London could be encouraged and :•
writes the contemporary chron- of London, Elias le Mire of Lon-
ui
assisted
to
come
over
for
that
ril
icier, William of Newberry, "a don, and Leo (— Judah) le
purpose; he had already corn-
•
tilt
certain Jew coming up, a dis- Mire of Bristol, executed in 1278,
.
municated with Elias, but the ri:
tinguished phxsician, who was a Psalter from his chattel "in latter
would not set out without ■
Ni
•
friendly with and honored by the poor condition" being subse-
written permission from the kin g.
Christians, for the sake both of quently sold for eightpence." It Next there is a letter from the
his art and of his own modesty, is to be noted that most of these sick man's brother, John of X
he commenced to deplore the persons were "engaged in busi-
slaiighter of his people in vio- ness activities," their medical in- Avesnes, heir to the County of
to much the same ef-
lent terms, and as though prophe- terest being only incidental, and Mainault,
feet, adding his own plea. Final- le
sying vengeance, thus gtirring up nnc¢ ibl .
b
ly there is a letter f ro m M
as t e r an
III
over, several of them are men-
Elias himself, learn adds furthe r
tioned casually, and only once,
details. We learn from it tha t
in the records of the time; a fact
John's uncle. Guy of Dampierr e
Sincerest Passover Greetings
that makes it very probable that Count of Flanders. had repeat
there are others who were never
edly written to him with the sam
mentioned at all, and that the object; that he, Elias, has sen e
t
roll assembled here is in fact a
remedy, which was partially
far from complete.
uccessful; and that he was now
A great center of medieval b eing urged to come in person
English life which had a consid- n order to complete the cure.
erable and apparently highly-cul-
Ii
t is worth while to quote the
BENNIE SMITH
tured Jewish community, was document, which may be dated
Norwich. Here, too, there were a
t the close of 1280, in full:
various medical practitioners, one
1308 BROADWAY
From Master Elias of London
of them being probably that Ben-
Within the week the Easter dry cleaning rush will be on in
to Chancellor Robert Bur
edict, now professing Christianity,
CADILLAC 5695
full swing. It may be then impossible to promise you deliv-
nell.
whose son was forcibly circum-
ery of Vitalize dry cleaning before Easter! Insist on Vitalize
To my dear Lord from his
cised by some of the local Jews,
. . . the exclusive process that assures your garments and
liege, salutation.
with very serous results for them,
•
house furnishings added lifel
Sire:
in 1234. It appears that the
profession
of
medicine
here
was
Whereas
my
name
is
much
A Joyous Pesach to All
traditional in the hands of one k nown in distant lands at more
family. In a remarkable Hebrew t han its true worth (which is
of 1266 which has been pre- nought), I have been requested
533-547 FORE ST
WILSON ALL STEAK deed
served, we are introduced to the b y the Count of Flanders, by
herbier or herb-garden of Solo- m any letters and by special mes-
• Branch Store cor. John R. and Piquette
HAMBURGER
mon, the Physician, son of Isaac, s enger, to cure a malady which
the Physician, in Saddlegate St. h is nephew bath, which malady
Barbeque Chickens and Ribs
in that city. According to Dr.
Charles Singer, the great expert
Open 24 Hours Daily
in the history of medicine. this
is the first private herb-garden of
12 E. STATE FAIR
the Middle Ages, of which he has
knowledge—a notable fact there-
TOWNgND 7-9585
fore in the history of medicine
among the Jews. (Solomon, the
Physician, was nerhaps identical
Passover
with Salle, le Mire, whom Davis
records, with an erroneous ref-
its tradition
erence, in his index). Later on.
at the time of the exnulsion of
Cantor
I.
Katz
A Joyous Pesach to All
rp
adorim in all its splendor
the Jews from England, in 1290.
will officiate
one of the victims was Bateman
or Pateman, the Doctor. son of
pecial rates for Seders and week.
Deulelecress, of Norwich. whose
nly
FIRST
SEDER
Mt. Clemens Hotel accredited
assets amounting to 06.8d were
by Union of Orthodox Rabbis.
APRIL I
confiscated by the treasury. Since
the name Deulelecress was often
SECOND SEDER
acation with us.
used in medieval England as an
APRIL 2
equivalent of Solomon. it may
njoyment for young and old.
be that he was a son of the Sol-
• ELEGANT ROOMS
• SERVICE SUPREME
e member to write or phone your
omon, the Physician, of Norwich

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8

