A practicing physician with a doctorate in Jewish studies, Ronald L. Eisenberg combines the two fields in this encyclopedic volume.

The author begins with a broad discussion of health and healing in Jewish tradition up to the Middle Ages, including a seemingly random selection of Talmudic quotations.

Then comes the main section: biographical sketches of Jewish doctors through the ages. This who’s who of Jews involved in medicine and associated fields is arranged chronologically, geographically, and then alphabetically.

Who qualifies as a “contributor to healing”? Eisenberg’s criteria are unclear. For some reason, the only living doctors featured here are Nobel or Lasker laureates. Yet Jews who converted to Christianity are included.

For those interested in a layperson’s look at Judaism and medicine, this is a pleasant book to dip into, full of interesting facts about accomplished doctors and other scientists.