Community Magazine December 2013

One of the more recent discoveries in the field of microbiology is the possibility of a person carrying a dangerous strain of bacteria without being sick, and transmitting the bacteria to others who then take ill. Germs in the Talmud Remarkably, the notion of invisible harmful bacteria is mentioned in ancient Jewish texts. The Shulhan Aruch ( Orah Haim 170:16) rules: “A man shall not drink from a cup then give it to another, because of life threatening dangers.” This idea is explained in the teachings of the Tanna Rabbi Eliezer (cited by the commentary of the Taz to the Shulhan Aruch ): “For perhaps there is an illness in his body, which might go from his mouth into the cup, making his friend ill.” Rabbi Eliezer, who lived some 2,000 years ago, already knew that: Illness can be attributed to invisible factors, which are present not only within the affected organ, but throughout the sick person’s body, including his bodily secretions. These invisible transmitters can pass from person to person indirectly, such as by their sharing the same cup, whereby the second person becomes infected. Most importantly, even a healthy person must not share his cup with others, lest “there is an illness in his body.” In other words, even an apparently healthy person may carry a strain of bacteria that is harmless to him, but might cause illness in another. Further evidence that the sages knew of the existence of microbes and bacteria may be drawn from the following statement of the Talmud (Masechet Avodah Zarah 28a), written some 1,600 years ago: “Shemuel said: An open wound caused by a piece of iron is to be regarded as life threatening, and one is allowed to violate Shabbat [in order to treat it].” Shabbat desecration is permitted only for the purpose of treating life-threatening illnesses, and therefore treating a simple wound is generally forbidden on Shabbat if it entails a Shabbat violation. However, when a wound was caused by a piece of iron, it should be treated even with procedures that involve Shabbat desecration, because even a superficial wound of this type can be life-threatening. Did medical experts of the time find this statement puzzling, seeing that it refers to a relatively minor wound? And why is such a wound considered life-threatening? Today, we know that rusty iron contains bacteria that can cause a tetanus infection, also known as lockjaw, and that the entry of these bacteria into the body through even a superficial wound can ultimately be lethal. The Torah sages knew this before the advent of modern science. Scientific opinion at the time (and till centuries later) denied any connection between superficial wounds and life-threatening illness. Indeed, before the discovery of bacteria, there was no good reason to imagine that a small wound could cause death. Non-Jewish medical experts would have claimed that the patient died from some previous, internal disease. And undoubtedly, they would not have recommended that a Jew violate Shabbat to treat a patient under such circumstances. Yet, despite the sages’ efforts to preserve the sanctity of Shabbat, they were not ready to accept the current medical opinion in this case. Their knowledge had been passed on from generation to generation, and they knew that a wound caused by iron could be life-threatening. Appropriately, they gave practical instructions to treat such a wound, big or small, as it could cause a massive lethal infection. As we know today, scientists eventually reached the same conclusion through their research. The Discovery of Pasteurization Even more astonishingly, there is reason to believe that the Talmudic sages were aware of the concept of pasteurization and the use of heat to destroy bacteria. The Talmud (Hulin 84b) emphasizes the importance of drinking liquids only after they have been boiled: “Rabbi Yohanan said: [Drink] a cupful of witchcraft, but not a cupful of tepid water.” Rabbi Yohanan warns that drinking a cup of unboiled water poses greater danger than drinking a witches’ brew. We must remember that at the time, water was drawn primarily from wells and cisterns and did not undergo the standard purification processes performed today. Along these lines, the sages made another point – as yet to be confirmed by modern science: “[R’Yochanan statement quoted above] applies only to a metal utensil, whereas there is no problem with an earthenware one. And even regarding a metal utensil, it holds true only if [the water] is unboiled; but if it was boiled [and subsequently cooled down], there is no problem. Moreover, this is only if one does not put herbs or spices in it, whereas if he does, there is no problem.” This passage poses a challenge to contemporary scientists – to use the tools at their disposal to verify the information presented in these comments. (It must be noted that water boiled in glass vessels still contains the dissolved salts and rust that were there previously. When water is boiled in metal vessels, however, salts and rust precipitate out and are deposited onto the vessel’s walls and bottom surface, and thus water boiled in metal vessels is cleaner. We should also note Maimonides’ comments in his Guide for the Perplexed that the sages’ statements about human health must be reexamined in each generation, to verify that the human physiology or the nature of the plants or medicines mentioned have not subsequently changed.) Louis Pasteur in his laboratory performing an experiment on rabies in 1885. Louis Pasteur (1822 – 1895) was a French chemist and microbiologist who is remembered for his remarkable breakthroughs in the causes and preventions of diseases. His discoveries reduced mortality from puerperal fever, and he created the first vaccine for rabies and anthrax. His experiments supported the germ theory of disease. Pasteur is best known to the general public for inventing a method to prevent milk and wine from causing sickness, a process that came to be called pasteurization. TEVET 5774 DECEMBER 2013 67