Israel zum Lamm

Israel zum Lamm was a Jewish doctor in Frankfurt. He lived and worked in the second half of the 16th century. In 1574 Christian doctors worried about competition from their Jewish colleagues tried to make it harder for Jewish doctors to work. They persuaded the city council that Jewish doctors had to be examined by a panel of Christian experts. However, as the Christian city medical officer had died in 1571 during an outbreak of plague in Frankfurt, the city did not have enough doctors. As a result, the city accepted Israel zum Lamm's offer of help and suspended the proposed examination. After the plague died down and the city appointed a new (Christian) medical officer in 1575 the Christian doctors pressed for the examination to be revived. This was obviously not done: Israel continued to practise in Frankfurt until his death in 1585.