J Clin Gastroenterol. 1989 Feb; 11(1): 61-3.

Ben Achiya: the first gastroenterologist in ancient Israel?

Hoenig LJ.

Department of Internal Medicine, University of Miami School of Medicine, Florida 33101.

Ben Achiya was the name of a Second Temple official who treated the digestive problems of ailing Jewish priests approximately 2500 years ago in Jerusalem. This article examines Talmudic and Rabbinic sources that provide the earliest historical record of a gastrointestinal specialist in ancient Israel.