[Avodah] Gaon/Medicine

[Allen Gerstl]

On Sun, 20 Jan 2008 12:39:47 -0500
R'"Rich, Joel" 
Wrote: Subject: [Avodah]  Gaon/Medicine

>Here's the lightly edited response I got from R' HS's talmid on the above 
>It wasn't his father it was his mother who didn't want him to be adoctor.This topic kvar dashu bey rabim as>the ramban bferush says not to go [to] doctors. It's a machlokes haposkim but most say that nowadays it's>notshayach, but yes the gra got upset at his brother when he found out that he went to a doctor. 

May I also suggest that given the state of medical knowledge (i.e. ignorance) at the time and the famous people who died at the hands of their doctors through what we now consider their bizarre treatments that its no wonder that the GRA was upset.

KT
Eliyahu