Israel Medical Association Journal

The portraits of mothers of artists are a distinct genre of female portrait art. Whereas most female portraits were commissioned, the mother portraits were the painter's initiative and reflection of sentiments. In several portraits of the mothers of artists, in particular Rembrandt’s paintings, age-related changes are depicted by the masters and their contemporaries. To some extent, they explain the feelings of James Abbott McNeil Whistler, expressed by the color pattern of the title of his mother portrait, Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1.

Objectives: To evaluate the incidence and comparative frequency of clinical manifestations in different etiologic-pathogenic variants of RTD[1] in Israel and in summarized published data.

Methods: Stillborn and neonatal autopsy material from nine medical centers in northern and central Israel was studied. Information concerning pregnancy, labor and postnatal status and autopsy findings of cases with histologically, histochemically and immunohistochemically confirmed RTD were obtained from corresponding reports and from published material.

Results: From the 1538 autopsies of fetuses (≥ 20 weeks gestation) and neonates that were performed between 1976 and 2007 we identified 12 cases of RTD (0.78%). Abnormality occurred more often (1.4%) in the Upper and Western Galilee than in Israel as a whole.

Conclusions: Our study and a review of the literature showed that the autosomal recessive variant of RTD was more frequent than twin-twin transfusion induced. Most symptoms were similar in all variants of RTD, but their frequency was different in each of them.