On the Racial Characteristics of Modern Jews

Jacobs, Joseph

doi:10.2307/2841906

Cited by 8 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…In pointing out that, “circumcision status based on country of origin is inexact,” Van Howe excludes a study that found a higher STI prevalence in immigrant Muslim men than men born in The Netherlands [ 117 ] (his reference [117], by coincidence having the same number). While acknowledging that the prevalence of syphilis was lower amongst Jews compared to the rest of the population 80–130 years ago, Van Howe suggests that if circumcision is protective then the prevalence of syphilis should be lower amongst Jewish men than women and then cites studies that found prevalence to be similar in each sex [ 118 , 119 ] (his references [118, 119]). He suggests that, “the differences in the rates of lues [ sic ] between ethnic groups can be explained by a lack of sexual mixing” (actually mixing for sexual purposes) [ 120 ] (his reference [120], another coincidence in reference numbers).…”

Section: Meta-analysis Results For Individual Stismentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Male Circumcision Protect against Sexually Transmitted Infections? Arguments and Meta-Analyses to the Contrary Fail to Withstand Scrutiny

et al. 2014

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We critically evaluate a recent article by Van Howe involving 12 meta-analyses that concludes, contrary to current evidence, that male circumcision increases the risk of various common sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Our detailed scrutiny reveals that these meta-analyses (1) failed to include results of all relevant studies, especially data from randomized controlled trials, (2) introduced bias through use of inappropriate control groups, (3) altered original data, in the case of human papillomavirus (HPV), by questionable adjustments for “sampling bias,” (4) failed to control for confounders through use of crude odds ratios, and (5) used unnecessarily complicated methods without adequate explanation, so impeding replication by others. Interventions that can reduce the prevalence of STIs are important to international health. Of major concern is the global epidemic of oncogenic types of HPV that contribute to the burden of genital cancers. Meta-analyses, when well conducted, can better inform public health policy and medical practice, but when seriously flawed can have detrimental consequences. Our critical evaluation leads us to reject the findings and conclusions of Van Howe on multiple grounds. Our timely analysis thus reaffirms the medical evidence supporting male circumcision as a desirable intervention for STI prevention.

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Section: Meta-analysis Results For Individual Stismentioning

confidence: 99%

Does Male Circumcision Protect against Sexually Transmitted Infections? Arguments and Meta-Analyses to the Contrary Fail to Withstand Scrutiny

et al. 2014

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“…Such an interaction could not be demonstrated ( P = .6500) [118]. Likewise, Jewish men and women were found less likely to have syphilis in 1882–1883, but, once again, the lack of interaction between ethnicity and gender ( P = .9007) fails to support circumcision as a contributing factor [119]. The differences in the rates of lues between ethnic groups can be explained by a lack of sexual mixing between the two populations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sexually Transmitted Infections and Male Circumcision: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Howe

2013

ISRN Urology

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The claim that circumcision reduces the risk of sexually transmitted infections has been repeated so frequently that many believe it is true. A systematic review and meta-analyses were performed on studies of genital discharge syndrome versus genital ulcerative disease, genital discharge syndrome, nonspecific urethritis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, genital ulcerative disease, chancroid, syphilis, herpes simplex virus, human papillomavirus, and contracting a sexually transmitted infection of any type. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, and human papillomavirus are not significantly impacted by circumcision. Syphilis showed mixed results with studies of prevalence suggesting intact men were at great risk and studies of incidence suggesting the opposite. Intact men appear to be of greater risk for genital ulcerative disease while at lower risk for genital discharge syndrome, nonspecific urethritis, genital warts, and the overall risk of any sexually transmitted infection. In studies of general populations, there is no clear or consistent positive impact of circumcision on the risk of individual sexually transmitted infections. Consequently, the prevention of sexually transmitted infections cannot rationally be interpreted as a benefit of circumcision, and any policy of circumcision for the general population to prevent sexually transmitted infections is not supported by the evidence in the medical literature.

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“…Armand-Louis-Joseph Béraud writes in 1897 that Jews circumcise their children because the “‘climate in which they dwelt’ otherwise encouraged the transmission of syphilis” (quoted in Gilman 1990, p. 1013). Another nineteenth-century study, “On the Racial Characteristics of Modern Jews” (Jacobs 1886), agrees that circumcision defends against infection, finding that “syphilis seems to be less prevalent among Jews; but this may be due to moral causes, and in so far as it is the result of circumcision it is clearly not racial” (pp. 31–32).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Unpleasant Business: Rat, Jew, Payment, and Covenant in Freud’sRAT Man

Atura¹

2017

J Am Psychoanal Assoc

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Freud's repression of Judaism and its cultural markers from the published "Rat Man" case history has been noted but never satisfactorily explained. This elision can be interpreted using Freud's suggestion that the paradigmatic "rat" represents (among other things) a circumcised penis marking an intergenerational, covenantal exchange. When read against the case study as originally published, Freud's process notes for the Rat Man's treatment (the only set of such notes on a published case that Freud didn't destroy) suggest that Freud chose to sanitize the published version of explicitly Jewish content, thus repeating a pattern of absence as a marker of debt. This debt only grows more tortuous and powerful the longer it remains unpaid. This system of elision in the Rat Man suggests that Freud understood deferral and denial to be built into the Jewish system of piety. Thus, it would seem that Freud used the Rat Man case history to explore Judaism through its repression; Freud's relation to and interpretation of Jewish values are revealed as a primary, if unconscious, subject of the text.

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On the Racial Characteristics of Modern Jews

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

Does Male Circumcision Protect against Sexually Transmitted Infections? Arguments and Meta-Analyses to the Contrary Fail to Withstand Scrutiny

Does Male Circumcision Protect against Sexually Transmitted Infections? Arguments and Meta-Analyses to the Contrary Fail to Withstand Scrutiny

Sexually Transmitted Infections and Male Circumcision: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Unpleasant Business: Rat, Jew, Payment, and Covenant in Freud’sRAT Man

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