Health conditions of immigrant Jews on the lower East Side of New York: 1880-1914.

I HEALTH CONDITIONS of immigrant Jews on New York City's Lower East Side are discussed in light of the circumstances of their lives before and during migration. In addition to morbidity and mortality data, the interrelated effects of poor sanitation, occupational hazards, and poverty are shown on the physical, emotional, and family health of these turn-of-the-century immigrants. Also examined is the surprising finding that despite conditions which normally engender disease, the physical health of Jews was remarkably good in comparison to that of both non-Jewish immigrants and native-born Yankees. This was true not only of immigrant Jews in America; surprisingly, Jews in Europe were, on the whole, also healthier than their Christian countrymen. Although the great majority of Jews in Europe as well as America lived in the most overcrowded and unsanitary quarters of the cities, and under difficult social conditions, available statistics (some fragmentary, others extensive) and contemporary reports of practising physicians show that they had lower morbidity and mortality rates than their nonJewish neighbours. Contemporary medical and social investigators believed three major factors to be responsible for the Jews' generally low disease rates: rare alcoholism, religious law, and social customs, particularly family structUre, traditions and behaviour patterns. Infant and child mortality rates were lower among Jews than their neighbours, and this was thought to be the result of Jewish concern for child welfare. These possible explanations will b'e discussed more fully later. Interestingly, these factors which fostered health among Jews were most severely strained by the Americanization process.