Page 177 - ירושלים: גיליון רפואי

With Mercy

On Blindness and Clear Vision in a City Stricken by Trachoma

Poor living conditions turned trachoma into a permanent epidemic throughout the Middle
East, and the population of Jerusalem was faced with the danger of blindness, a frightening
prospect for both children and adults. The Order of St John, which began its activities in
Jerusalem during the Crusader period, returned to the city towards the end of the 19th
century in a new and modern form, and established a hospital for treating eye ailments.
Many Jewish patients were thankful for the much needed and advanced care, while others
feared hidden missionary motives. In answer to the urgent need for ophthalmologic care
among the Jewish population, a society known as “Lemaan Zion” (“For the Sake of Zion”)
was formed, and opened an eye clinic to serve Jerusalem’s citizenry. In 1908, the Swiss
Jew, Dr Moshe Erlanger, was sent to the clinic in Jerusalem, and in 1912 he was replaced
by Dr Avraham Ticho. Later, in 1913, Dr Aryeh Feigenbaum settled in the city and joined
the staff of Jerusalem eye physicians. Just as trachoma failed to discriminate among its
sufferers, these doctors were devoted to treating the general public. The three physicians
undertook research into trachoma in an effort to find a cure, and became well-known and
admired public figures.

‫] שלח ה' דברו ע"י שליחו הד"ר שיחי' [שיחיה] וירפאה ושבה‬...["
‫ ישראל‬,‫ ברכת תודה ששלח תושב ירושלים‬,"‫לבריאותה על עינה‬

1911 ,‫ לד"ר ארלנגר על ריפוי עיני רעייתו‬,‫שמעון שיין‬
‫ארלנגר‬-‫ אוסף אדית פולק‬,‫| יששכר פולק‬

”The Lord sent His word by his emissary, the Doctor, may he
live, and be healed and restored health to her eye,”

a declaration of gratitude sent by Jerusalemite, Israel
Shimon Schajin, to Dr Erlanger for healing his wife’s eyes,

1911 | Issachar Pollak, Edith Pollak-Erlanger collection

175 ■ ‫בעין טובה‬