Obesity, the Jews and psychoanalysis: on shaping the category of obesity.

Hilde Bruch was one of the most important researchers into the question of weight during the 20th century. Best known for her popularization of anorexia nervosa, she was equally important in articulating a psychological aetiology for obesity. This work was rooted in her historical experiences in Germany and in the USA, and specifically the claim made at that time for the predisposition of the Jews to obesity.