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Dr. Israel Drapkin, a local Jewish physician, has been named by the Chilean Government as its representative on the scientific expedition sent by the museums of Paris and Brussels to the Pacific isle of Pascua, near the Polynesian Archipelago.
The expedition is headed by Professor Matraux, successor to Professor Luis Charles Whatelin, who died at Puerto Monte after the expedition got under way.
The purpose of the scientific group is to discover the relationship, if any, between hieroglyphic writings found a short time ago in India and others found at Pascua. There is great similarity between the two, both as yet undeciphered, and it is believed they may shed light on the theory that inhabitants of India and the Malay Peninsula crossed the Polynesian and Melanesian Archipelagos to the South American continent.
Dr. Drapkin, who in addition to representing Chile will function as the entomologist of the expedition, will also take advantage of his stay at Pascua to study leprosy. The disease is prevalent on the island, where there is a leper colony. (Pascua is also known as Hanga Roa.)
Dr. Israel Drapkin is the son of Isaac Drapkin, one of the first Jewish communal figures in Chile.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
