The Jewish Child. By W. M. Feldman. (Bailliere, Tindall, and
Cox. 10s. 6d. net.)—This curious and instructive book, by a physi- cim who is also a learned Talmudist, summarizes the views both of the old Rabbis and of modern science in regard to the Jewish child from infancy to manhood. Apart from the medical details, the chapters on religious ceremonies, on personal cleanliness, and on education are of general interest. The author thinks that the early training of Jews in the apparently meaningless casuistry of the Talmud, practised from the Babylonian captivity to the present day, has a good effect in sharpening their wits, and accounts for the success of Jewish students in competition with Christians. It is sur- prising, however, to be told that in New York in 1903, when the Jews formed twenty per cent. of the population, ninety per cent of the students in the Colleges were Jewish. Mr. Feldman quotes liberally from the pithy sayings and anecdotes of the Talmud. It seems that the aphorism now so popular, " More people die from eating too much than from eating too little," is due to an ancient Rabbi, and not to Napoleon.
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