Jewish contributions to science –including discovery of blood circulation by one of the earliest Hebrew physicians — were described tonight by Dr. Alexander Marx, Professor of History and director of the library of the Jewish Theological Seminary, at the seminary’s Institute of Post-Biblical Literature.
Dr. Marx said that Asof, probably the second oldest Hebrew physician, anticipated Harvey’s discovery of blood circulation through veins and arteries, but did not develop the theory. The earliest Jewish physician, he said, was probably Donnolo, born in the year 913, the oldest known medical writer of southern Italy.
Last night Dr. Louis Ginzberg, senior professor of the seminary, told the 100 scholars attending the opening session that the Talmud sanctioned unskilled labor’s right to strike and women’s right to sue for divorce on the ground of incompatibility. His topic was “Palestinian and Babylonian Life and Thought as Reflected in the Talmud.”
Biblical law legislates for an agricultural people, “Dr. Ginzberg said.”In Tannaitic times we notice the rise of commerce and industry. Hence, the highly developed labor laws.
“Of paramount importance is the right to strike. In Babylonia, commerce and industry were much more developed and hence a difference was made between unskilled labor…and skilled labor…The first was granted the right to strike, but not the latter, whose relation to the employer was considered to be more in the nature of one merchant to another.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
