Jewish physicians in medieval Spain vastly outnumbered the community’s demographic share

Evidence

Through their mastery of Greek (especially Galenic) medical culture, Jews occupied a prominent position in the medical professions in medieval Christendom, where medical practitioners (of any faith) were in short supply. Although they did not have a monopoly on medical practice in the Christian kingdoms of medieval Spain and Portugal, Jews played a notable role in the medical professions, and the number of Jewish physicians was certainly disproportional to the demographic size of Jewish communities. — James Renton, Ben Gidley (eds.), Antisemitism and Islamophobia in Europe, 360

Categorization

• XREF: Pairs with the chapter’s central argument: professional success of a marginalized group triggers demonization — echoes patterns from the reader’s moral-panic and trust literature.