The Jewish Problem in U.S. Medical Education, 1920-1955

A Curious Letter in the Archives

“…Twentieth century US quotas restricting the access of Jewish students and physicians to medical school and postgraduate training were commonplace and have been extensively documented in the literature, based on interviews and primary sources. [15][16][17][18][19] Jewish medical students and house officers were frequently accused by their gentile colleagues of being unsuited for the practice of medicine. Common accusations were that Jews were more suited for book work than for working with their hands and, thus, did not do well with clinical work.…”

“…Other contemporary writers complained that Jewish medical students were unethical, radical, or neurotic. 18,19 Friedenwald himself recognized the pervasiveness of academic anti-Semitism. In a June 7, 1922, letter to his father, he described, with great perception, Harvard's president, A. Lawrence Lowell, who was a proponent of quotas to restrict the access of Jews to higher education:…”

“…7 Hart's accusation, leveled at Friedenwald, is consistent with the general academic medical anti-Semitic prejudices of the time. 7,[15][16][17][18][19] The Duke University Department of Surgery did not have its first Jewish division chief until 1996. Freidenwald's stellar career in ophthalmology and ocular pathology indicates that Hart's accusation that he was the type of person who "laid down on the job" was unsubstantiated by subsequent events.…”

The many and conflicting histories of medical education in Canada and the USA: an introduction to the paradigm wars

“…The struggle of black people, Jews and other groups for access to medical education has also been documented 17,24 , 25 . These literatures greatly enrich the history of medical education by adding a social and economic element.…”

A Personal Evaluation of Changing Social Contracts in Medicine: Reflections of Medicine in the Media

“…Many are unaware of this dark era in American medicine during which largely unspoken, yet organized antisemitism severely limited the ability for Jewish Americans to obtain medical education. To those interested in the topic, I recommend the excellent historical documentation provided by Dr. Ed Halperin, currently the Chancellor and CEO of the New York Medical College . (Fig.…”