Kelvin Weng Chun Poon, In situ chemical analysis of tattooing inks and pigments: modern organic and traditional pigments in ancient mummified remains (2008)
- - , Algemeen, , Allan McNabb, What does the Bible say about body piercings and tattoos? (BibleStudyGuide.org)
- - , Algemeen, Jul 16, 2008, Scientific American, Tattletale Tats: Tattoos tip prison psychiatrists to trouble
What can tattoos tell psychiatrists about the mental state of prisoners locked up after being judged unfit to stand trial or found not guilty by reason of insanity? Plenty, according to a Michigan Center for Forensic Psychiatry study published in the journal Personality and Mental Health. Body art may be a tip-off that inmates are suffering from antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), a mental condition characterized by, among other traits, a lack of empathy for others, remorselessness about crimes committed, pathological lying, cheating and stealing as well as physical and emotional aggressiveness. Researchers studied a sample of 36 inmates at a maximum security state psychiatric facility and diagnosed 11 of 15 tattooed inmates as having ASPD. The inked inmates were also more likely than their bare-skinned peers to have been sexually abused, addicted to drugs or had attempted suicide. No word on whether the type of art correlated with a prisoner's mental state.
- - , Algemeen, July 17, 2008, The New York Times, For Some Jews, It Only Sounds Like 'Taboo'
Jewish law on tattooing is slippery. Leviticus 19:28 states, "You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead nor incise any marks on yourself: I am the Lord." For Rabbi Washofsky, it's unclear whether the passage strictly outlaws tattoos that refer to a god, or whether it generally condemns any personal adornment. Ear piercing, he added, is not controversial.
For Mr. Klaven, historical context is key. When Leviticus was written, tattooing was largely a pagan practice, done to mark slaves or to show devotion to a pharaoh, Mr. Klaven said. Since tattooing has evolved, he thinks the rule may be outdated.
Not all scholars agree. Rabbi Alan Bright, a spokesman for the Jewish Funeral Directors of America, dismissed the cemetery adage as "a load of rubbish," but he said that tattooing was a no-no. He quotes Deuteronomy 4:15, which commands Jews to take care of their bodies, as evidence.
But he noted that Jewish law prohibits many things that secular Jews do without a second thought. "The Torah prohibits anything negative that affects the body," he said. "Smoking is more of a violation of Jewish law." As are drinking alcohol in excess and overeating.
IT'S difficult to know exactly how many young Jews are being tattooed, because no organization tracks these numbers. But a pro-tattoo community is emerging online. Christopher Stedman, a 23-year-old student in Rohnert Park, Calif., started a MySpace group called "Jews with Tattoos" in 2004, after noticing more Jewish friends being tattooed. The group now has 839 members.