BMJ 1997;315:1172-1173 (8 November)

Editorials

The health of gypsies

Lack of understanding exemplifies wider disregard of the health of minorities in Europe

The arrival at Dover of groups of gypsy (Roma) families from Slovakia seeking asylum in Britain has briefly focused the attention of the British media on this poorly understood people.1 The Roma are one example, albeit a substantial one, of minority communities throughout Europe whose way of life and health needs are largely ignored by the majority communities.

Over 5 million Roma people live in the countries of central and eastern Europe. Originally from northeastern India, they began a slow westward migration about 1000 years ago. By the fifteenth century they were well established in the Balkans, with smaller groups throughout western Europe. At first they were welcomed, claiming papal protection as penitent pilgrims, but the intolerance that accompanied the reformation and the rise of the nation state in the sixteenth century soon led to persecution. In the eighteenth century Austria-Hungary required Roma children over 5 to be taken from . . . [Full text of this article]


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to StumbleUpon StumbleUpon   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Article

The health of Gypsies
G A C Binnie and Emil Ginter
BMJ 1998 316: 1824. [Extract] [Full Text]

This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Lehti, A., Mattson, B. (2001). Health, attitude to care and pattern of attendance among gypsy women--a general practice perspective. Fam Pract 18: 445-448 [Abstract] [Full text]  
  • Hajioff, S., McKee, M. (2000). The health of the Roma people: a review of the published literature. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 54: 864-869 [Abstract] [Full text]  
  • Tosti, A., Pazzaglia, M., Bertazzoni, M. (2000). Contact Allergy From Temporary Tattoos. Arch Dermatol 136: 1061-1062 [Full text]  
  • Binnie, G A C, Ginter, E. (1998). The health of Gypsies. BMJ 316: 1824a-1824 [Full text]  
Access jobs at BMJ Careers
Whats new online at Student BMJ