Intermountain Jewish news., 1925-11-12
THE JEWISH REALM OF ARTS AND SCIENCES


70 this Taimudic-rsbbinic law, then,
even II there could be found an eS-
press law in the Torsh prohibiting
The dtssecting Of human body II
would have to be ignored in favor Of
autopsy which might lead to the say.
Ing Of . human life. Thus far we can
fully agree with these two great rab-
binical authorities. But with all due
respect to them we cannot see any
reason for limiting, as they do, the
permission Of autopsy only TO cases
when there Is right then and there
another person. suffering from the
same disease who might Immediately
be benefited by the findings Of the
physicians. The Talmudic law that
consideration for the saving of a hu-
man life sets sside any law of the
Tosah sxcspt the three naentiooed
above applies also to doubtful cases,
that is, VIXEN We arc not sure that by
the act invelviag a violation Of the
law we shall save n human being, but
there is merely . chance o! saving .
human life, we should nevertheless
proceed with the act and ignore the
law ID. Homa SSa). And certainly
there is more than mere chance o.
probability that the enrichment Of the
MEDICAL science and the wider knowt-
edge and experience gained by physi-
clans from their findings through
autopsy will result in the saving Of
human life here and now or some
where else and at some other tin,e.
For In our days any discovery made
in one hospital and the knowledge ae.
quired by one physician in one part
of the world is easily communicated
through books or medical journals to
physicians living in other parts of the
world We can. therefore, not argue
against autopsy even in such an in
stance when We do not know of any
person suffering from the same dis
ease. For il there is no such case
here it may be elsewhere and if there
ID none right now it may turn up to-
morrow or next year.
bciirve that in the above have
proved that there can bc no objection
to autopsy On the ground Of any Bib
lical or Talmudic- -rahbinic law. I
would 60 still further and state that
In our days there are good reasons
why Jewish people should modify
their customary attitude towards
autopsy. This attitude, on the part Of
the Jews, has created had feelings
among Christian students Of medi-
cine. In some universities in Europe
Jewish medical students find it very
difficult and almost impossible to get
admission to the medical laboratories
for this very reason, because Jews or
dinarily refuse to deliver Jewish
corpses for purposes of anatomical
dissection (com. Yearbook of C. o. A.
R. Vol. XXXIII, 1928, p. 452). The
exclusion of Jewish students from the
anatomical laboratories ultimately
means that Jewish students will be
deprived Of the opportunity for study
ing medicine. For we must consider
the possibility of such an attitude to
wards Jewish medical students on the
part of Christian students or univer-
sity authorities, spreading to all other
universities outside of Poland, Aus
tria- Hungary and Roumania, if we
Jews persist in our unjustified objec-
tions to autopsy. These considerations
have prompted orthodox Jewish COM
munities in Europe to change their
attitude towards autopsy and TO
agree to deliver Jewish corpses for
purposes of anatomical dissection.
According to a report from Bucha-
rest, Roumania, printed in the Jewish
Daily Bulletin, March 10, 1925. p. 8,
the Jewish community in Jassy has
agreed and actually already begun to
deliver Jewish corpses for dissection
to the university of that city. No
doubt this decision of the Jassy COM
munity had the approval of the Rab-
binate of that city. Another dispatch
of the Jewish Tclegraphic Agency
brings the following report from
Kishinef fprinted in the Jewish Daily
Bulletin. April 7, 1928, p. ~: IAN un-
paralclled scene took place in the hall