Isaac Dembo | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1846 (1846) |
| Died | 1906 (aged 59–60) Saint Petersburg, Russian Empire |
| Education | University of Saint Petersburg |
| Occupation | Physician |
Isaac Dembo (Yiddish:יצחק בן אהרן דעמבאָ,Russian:Исаак Александрович Дембо) was aRussian-Jewish physician.
Dembo was born to anOrthodox Jewish family inPonevezh,Kovno Governorate.[1] He studiedHebrew and rabbinical literature under the direction ofShmuel Salant and other Talmudic authorities until the age of fourteen, when he devoted himself to secular studies, and in 1870 graduated asM.D. from theUniversity of Saint Petersburg. He served as physician in several hospitals, and in 1877, on the outbreak of theRusso-Turkish War, enlisted in the medical department ofthe army.[2] He was awarded a medal for his services. In 1881–82 he traveled inGermany andFrance, and on his return toSaint Petersburg was appointed physician to the Alexandrowski Hospital. In 1888 the government bestowed upon him the title of 'privy councillor.'
Dembo turned his attention to the scientific study ofsheḥita, theslaughtering of animals according to Jewish law.[3] InSwitzerland and in Germany attempts had been made to securethe prohibition of kosher butchering, on the plea that it caused the animals unnecessary pain. After investigating the matter and studying the methods of slaughtering in Russia and abroad, Dembo arrived at the conclusion thatsheḥita caused less pain than other methods.[4] The German Society for Public Health andFrench Academy of Medicine apparently agreed with his conclusions, and the Prussian Military Office, which produced canned meat, introduced a new method of slaughter in response to Dembo's reports.[1]
He published two works on this subject; namely,Anatomisch-physiologische Grundlagen der verschiedenen Methoden des Viehschlachtens (1894) andDas Schächten im Vergleich mit anderen Schlachtmethoden (1894). The latter work was prefaced by endorsements fromRudolf Virchow andWilliam Preyer, and translated intoFrench,[5]English,[6] and Hebrew.[7]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Rosenthal, Herman; Broydé, Isaac (1903)."Dembo, Isaac". InSinger, Isidore; et al. (eds.).The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 512.
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