The document analyzes the biblical story of Joseph and his brothers and draws parallels to the modern understanding of trauma and its effects. It argues that Joseph used unconscious emotional defenses after his childhood trauma, allowing him to survive and thrive, but these defenses ultimately prevented emotional and spiritual healing. When Joseph's brothers triggered emotions he had repressed for decades, he experienced an emotional catharsis that allowed him to consciously acknowledge his pain and forgive his brothers. The story teaches that repression can help trauma survivors function but may ultimately block love and forgiveness, and that consciously experiencing previously repressed emotions is necessary for full healing.
Blooming Together_ Growing a Community Garden Worksheet.docx
335 ! 2001 Blanton-Peale InstituteJournal of Religion and .docx
1. 335 ! 2001 Blanton-Peale Institute
Journal of Religion and Health, Vol. 40, No. 3, Fall 2001 (!
2001)
Joseph and His
Brothers: A Biblical
Paradigm for the
Optimal Handling of
Traumatic Stress
SAMUEL J. MANN
ABSTRACT: The long-lasting effects of emotional trauma and
the important role of unconscious
emotional defenses have become increasingly recognized only
in the past century. Yet their role is
actually manifest, although still overlooked, in one of the most
well-known of biblical stories.
This paper presents the story of Joseph and his brothers, and the
important lessons it teaches
about unconscious defenses and the optimal handling of
emotional trauma.
KEY WORDS: trauma; posttraumatic stress; child abuse;
coping; emotional numbing; spiritual
healing; hypertension.
Introduction
Although childhood trauma is highly prevalent in virtually all
societies, rec-
2. ognition of its persisting impact has been long delayed. This
impact is well
recognized today in individuals who suffer overt psychological
consequences.
However, among those who survive trauma without overt
psychological con-
sequences, the potential of past trauma to cause psychological
or physical
problems that first appear decades later is still widely
overlooked. Such indi-
viduals routinely insist that they have put the trauma completely
behind
them, have suffered no lingering impact, and that earlier trauma
is of no
relevance to later physical and emotional health.
The absence of psychological symptoms in successful trauma
survivors is
often attributable to unconscious emotional defenses. Such
defenses are ongo-
ing rather than temporary processes.1 One can argue that such
defenses may
Samuel J. Mann, M.D., is an Associate Professor of Clinical
Medicine at the New York Presby-
terian Hospital–Weill/Cornell Medical Center in New York. He
has a clinical practice and con-
ducts research specializing in hypertension. He is the author of
many scientific articles dealing
with hypertension, published in both medical and psychological
journals, and a recent book:
Healing Hypertension: A Revolutionary New Approach (Wiley,
1999).
3. 336 Journal of Religion and Health
be the preferred response to trauma, particularly during
childhood.2 However,
despite their value, defenses maintained for decades may
ultimately fail,
whether due to time or cumulative stress or other factors.
Physical or psycho-
logical manifestations that ultimately appear will seem
unrelated to decades-
old trauma, and therapy directed at the trauma will not be
considered or
utilized.
Our inattention to the ongoing unconscious processes operative
in many
successful trauma survivors is not new. Ironically, this
inattention is recorded
as far back as the bible, in which a well-known story offers
important yet
universally overlooked insights concerning the handling of
traumatic stress.
The purpose of this article is to convey the lessons of that
famous biblical
story of Joseph and his brothers.
Joseph and his brothers (Genesis: chapters 42–45)3
The story of Joseph and his brothers begins with sibling rivalry.
Joseph was
favored by his father, Jacob, both because he was born when
Jacob was in his
old age, and because he was the first child born to Jacob’s
beloved wife
Rachel. Until Joseph’s birth, Rachel had been infertile while
Jacob’s other
4. wife, Leah, and the maids Bilhah and Zilpah had given birth to
his ten older
brothers. Finally Rachel gave birth to Joseph and later to
Benjamin, and then
died.
Joseph was not a humble child, contributing to his brothers’
resentment of
him. He did not hesitate to tell them his dream in which they all
bowed down
to him and he ruled over them (a dream which ultimately came
true). Their
jealousy and hatred of him led to their plot to kill the 17 year
old Joseph.
They relented, threw him into a deep pit, and then sold him to a
group of
Ishmaelites, who brought him to Egypt and sold him. The
brothers told Jacob
that Joseph had been killed. Ultimately Joseph was imprisoned
in Egypt,
falsely accused of making sexual advances toward his master’s
wife.
Joseph eventually was summoned to Pharoah because of his
ability to in-
terpret dreams. His correct prediction of seven years of
abundance followed
by seven years of famine moved Pharoah to appoint him viceroy
over Egypt to
manage the famine.
During the famine, Joseph’s brothers came from the land of
Canaan to seek
grain and appeared before him. Joseph recognized them (they
did not recog-
nize him), and although it is his forgiveness that is most
5. prominently remem-
bered, he first took the opportunity to exact revenge. He
accused them of
spying, jailed one of the brothers, and also tormented Jacob, his
father, by
demanding that they bring Benjamin, the surviving son of
Rachel, to Egypt.
Finally, weeks later, he tearfully revealed his identity to his
family and for-
gave them. He invited Jacob (now named Israel) and the entire
clan to come
to live in Egypt to survive the famine. Ultimately Jacob’s
descendents ended
up as slaves in Egypt, until their later deliverance in the era of
Moses.
Samuel J. Mann 337
Interpretation
Joseph’s story provokes several troubling questions. Why,
during his years as
governor of Egypt, had he not sought to communicate or re-
unite with the
father he loved and so end his father’s long-held grief over his
presumed
death? Why did Joseph torment his brothers for weeks before
sending word to
his father that he was alive and wanted to see him? And why did
he torture
Jacob by asking his brothers to bring Benjamin to Egypt? These
questions
have been difficult to answer. However, a perspective focusing
on trauma and
6. its effects offers an explanation as well as important insights
into the han-
dling of traumatic stress. New possibilities of interpretation are
surprisingly
evident in the text, as presented below.
Joseph was 17 when he was attacked and sold into slavery. The
severity of
this trauma was magnified by his young age, the betrayal by his
brothers, the
sudden and unexpected separation from his father, family, and
homeland,
and his ultimate imprisonment. The story poses the challenge,
encountered
in all generations, of coping with such severe trauma. What is
clear is that
Joseph survived, and obviously thrived.
The text does not describe Joseph as despondent, grief-stricken
or irate. In
fact, although the bible richly describes emotions in the context
of many of its
stories, it does not ascribe to Joseph any emotional experience
whatsoever
following these traumatic events. This conspicuous lack of
mention of any
emotion is suggestive of the involvement of unconscious
defenses. Joseph was
numbed, and was able to move on successfully. However, years
later, with the
appearance of his brothers in Egypt, Joseph’s emotional
reaction emerges,
and dominates the text.
Genesis: chap. 42
7. v. 6: . . . And Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down
themselves before him
with their faces to the earth (fulfilling Joseph’s earlier dream).
v. 8: And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him.
v. 9: And Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed
of them, and
said unto them: ‘Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land
ye are come.’
With the arrival of his brothers, Joseph’s anger and a desire for
revenge
were triggered.
v. 13: And they said: ‘Thy servants are twelve brethren, the
sons of one man in
the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest (Benjamin) is this
day with our
father, and one (Joseph) is not.’
v. 14: And Joseph said unto them: ‘That is it that I spake unto
you, saying: ye
are spies.’
Remarkably, in this passage, Joseph exhibits no reaction to the
stunning
news that his elderly father was still alive. His reaction conveys
no aware-
338 Journal of Religion and Health
ness of any love for his father. Instead the text describes only
the emergence
8. of his anger, and the desire for revenge.
v. 17: And he put them all together into ward three days.
v. 18: And Joseph said unto them the third day: . . .
v. 20: . . . bring your youngest brother (Benjamin) unto me; so
shall your words
be verified, and ye shall not die.’
The brothers’ three days of imprisonment matches the three
days Joseph
spent at the bottom of the pit, again exacting revenge. However,
Joseph’s
demand to bring Benjamin to Egypt will pain Jacob even more
than it will
pain the brothers, again indicating how completely submerged
from aware-
ness is his love for his father. Only the anger has thus far
emerged.
v. 21. And they (the brothers) said one to another: ‘We are
verily guilty concern-
ing our brother (Joseph), in that we saw the anguish of his soul,
when he be-
sought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress
come upon us.’
v. 23: And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he
spake unto them
by an interpreter.
The brothers are now expressing remorse about their betrayal of
Joseph.
Biblical interpreters see this remorse as one of the goals of
Joseph’s actions.
This remorse further opened the door to some of the long-
9. hidden emotional
pain.
v. 24: And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and he
returned to
them again, and communed with them, and took from them
Simeon (the second
oldest brother), and bound him before their eyes.
Joseph is edging toward catharsis of the repressed anguish, but
the text is
telling us that a little sobbing does not constitute true catharsis.
His actions
remain dominated by anger.
The brothers return to Canaan and report the events to Jacob,
still not
knowing that the governor of Egypt is their brother. The pain
Joseph’s ac-
tions are causing Jacob is evident in the text:
v. 38 . . . And he (Jacob) said: My son (Benjamin) shall not go
down with you;
for his brother (Joseph) is dead, and he is left alone; if mischief
befall him by the
way in which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs
with sorrow to the
grave.’
Jacob refuses to send Benjamin, but the famine continues, and
Jacob has
no choice but to send him, and to worry. Joseph’s reunion with
his younger
brother Benjamin further triggers the long-hidden emotional
pain:
10. Samuel J. Mann 339
Chap. 43
v. 30: And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his
brother; and
he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and
wept there.
Joseph’s love for Benjamin, not previously mentioned, is
surfacing. Joseph
weeps, yet he continues to torment his brothers, and is
apparently still re-
markably unaware of any longing to see his father. He is still
unable to for-
give. He ordered his silver goblet to be secretly placed in
Benjamin’s sack,
and after the brothers leave, sends his men to look for the
“missing” goblet.
Chap. 44
v. 9: ‘With whomever of thy servants it be found, . . . let him
die . . . ’
The revenge continues. When the goblet is “discovered” in
Benjamin’s sack,
the brothers are brought back, fearing for Benjamin’s life, and
for Jacob’s
grief. In the confrontation that follows, the brothers have an
opportunity to
atone for their earlier sins. And this time they act righteously,
as Judah steps
forward and pleads with Joseph to spare Benjamin’s life and
11. offers himself as
a substitute for Benjamin. Some biblical commentators focus on
Joseph’s
need to allow his brothers to atone before he can forgive them.
This inter-
pretation, however, still does not account for the cruelty
committed by Joseph
toward his father. That cruelty can be better explained by
recognizing the
numbing of Joseph’s love for his father, numbing that was
perhaps necessary
for his psychological stability after his abduction from his
family.
With the remorse of his brothers, and with the surge of emotion
that can no
longer be kept from awareness, the floodgates to the pain that
has been kept
from conscious awareness all those years, are now opened. And,
concurrent
with awareness of that pain, love and forgiveness finally
surfaces as well.
Chap. 45
v. 1: Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that
stood by him;
and he cried: ’Cause every man to go out from me.’ And there
stood no man with
him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.
v. 2: And he wept aloud; and the Egyptians and the house of
Pharoah heard.
This verse powerfully describes catharsis. Catharsis is not
gentle sobbing.
12. It is uncontrollable and loud crying. The text also indicates that
catharsis,
(which literally means to purge or purify), is essentially
different from crying
or weeping. It is not simply the feeling of strong emotions; it is
a process
which of itself changes us. With the catharsis, and the
awareness, these
words immediately follow:
340 Journal of Religion and Health
v. 3: ‘I am Joseph; doth my father yet live?’ And his brethren
could not answer
him; for they were troubled at his presence.
v. 4: And Joseph said unto his brethren: . . . ‘I am Joseph your
brother, whom ye
sold into Egypt.
v. 5: Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves,
that ye sold me
hither; for God did send me before you to preserve life.
v. 8: . . . it was not you that sent me hither, but God.
With the catharsis Joseph’s longing for his father immediately
emerges. He
is also now able to wholeheartedly forgive his brothers, and to
recognize the
divine plan that required his being in Egypt to save the family,
and future
nation, from the famine.
13. Discussion
The text of this story can be viewed as the earliest description
of the handling
of traumatic stress, and particularly, traumatic stress during
childhood.
Childhood trauma is unfortunately highly prevalent.4,5 Its
impact on adult
health, both psychological and physical, has been appreciated
only in rela-
tively recent times. Yet Joseph’s story offers insights that have
long lain dor-
mant.
Joseph’s story suggests that the use of unconscious defenses
allowed him to
move on seemingly unaffected after severe childhood trauma,
and that re-
pressing such emotions may help in maintaining psychological
stability.
Translated to current times, successful repression of emotions
related to se-
vere childhood trauma plays an important role in avoiding
consequences such
as substance abuse, depression and anxiety disorders.
While teaching that psychological numbing is not antithetical to
survival
and success in life, the text also implies that repression, while
desirable at
the time of trauma, is not the ideal long-term solution, as it may
stand in the
way of emotional and spiritual healing. When emotions related
to childhood
trauma are handled largely by repression, the experiencing of
love and for-
14. giveness may also be blocked. Joseph’s story suggests that
healing and whole-
ness are possible after emotions kept from awareness have been
consciously
acknowledged.
When the arrival of his brothers stirred the cauldron of
emotions long con-
cealed from his conscious awareness, the first emotion to arise
in Joseph was
anger, and the desire for revenge. The text indicates further that
Joseph was
unable to forgive until he finally experienced the depth of his
emotional pain.
It teaches that conscious acknowledging and experiencing of
previously inac-
cessible anger and deep pain may be necessary before love is
reawakened. In
Joseph’s case, the arrival of his brothers provided the trigger
that enabled the
painful process of healing to begin, the love for his father to
emerge, and the
meaning of the events in his life to become apparent.
Samuel J. Mann 341
The story of Joseph and his brothers, and particularly the
description of the
emotional catharsis that took place years after the trauma, also
offers the
important observation that even in seemingly unaffected trauma
survivors,
unconscious defenses are operative for years or decades. The
importance of
15. this observation has not waned, given the continuing widespread
failure to
consider the possibility that the origin of unexplained
psychological or physi-
cal disorders in adults could lie in childhood trauma, even in
seemingly suc-
cessful survivors.
Recent studies linking childhood trauma to irritable bowel
disorder and to
essential hypertension support his possibility.6–8 For example,
a disproportio-
nate number of women who suffer from irritable bowel
syndrome or unex-
plained pelvic pain acknowledge a history of sexual abuse
during childhood.6
Hypertension has also been associated with physical, sexual,
and emotional
abuse in childhood, or possibly with trauma such as ungrieved
parental loss
during childhood.7 Further, conscious acknowledgement of
trauma-related
emotions can lead to physical healing.7,8 A dramatic example is
provided in a
report of the rapid and sustained alleviation of severe
hypertension observed
in a 49-year old woman after she began to acknowledge
emotions related to
her having been raped when she was 14.8 Repression of
emotions can provide
an understanding and approach to treatment for most patients
with the oth-
erwise unexplained disorder of paroxysmal hypertension.9 Its
potentially im-
portant role in many other unexplained disorders, whose
mind/body connec-
16. tion has not been clarified, such as asthma, migraine, chronic
fatigue,
fibromyalgia and many others, is still largely unconsidered.
Understanding of
the mind/body link of these disorders will remain inadequate
until childhood
experience is given greater consideration, even in, and perhaps
especially in,
those who seem to have been least affected.
Joseph’s experience is mirrored in the lives of so many millions
who have
endured severe abuse or trauma during childhood. His story
serves as a
model for the successful handling of traumatic stress. However,
it also
teaches that even in successful survivors, ongoing unconscious
defenses, even
if inapparent to patient, physician, psychologist or clergyman,
are still opera-
tive. And it is in these most successful trauma survivors in
whom the poten-
tial late impact of psychological trauma is still widely
overlooked, even
though it is forewarned in the ancient wisdom of the Bible.
Acknowledgments
I would like to acknowledge Rev. Curtis Hart and Charles
Bloom, whose sug-
gestions have enhanced the message of this article.
342 Journal of Religion and Health
17. References
1. Freud S. Repression. J Strachey, editor, The Standard Edition
of the Complete Works of Sig-
mund Freud, volume 14, 1915/1957, pp. 146–158.
2. Lazerus RS. The costs and benefits of denial. In The Denial
of Stress, S. Bresnitz, editor. New
York: International University Press, 1983, p. 1–33.
3. Holy Bible. King James Version, Holman Bible Publishers,
Nashville, Tenn. 1973.
4. Wagner PJ, Mongan P, Hamrick D, Hendrick LK. Experience
of abuse in primary care pa-
tients: racial and rural differences. Arch Fam Med 1995; 4:956–
962.
5. MacMillan HL, Fleming JE, Trocme N, Boyle MH, Wong M,
Racine YA, Beardslee WR, Offord
DR. Prevalence of child physical and sexual abuse in the
community. Results from the Ontario
Health Supplement. JAMA 1997; 278:131–135.
6. Drossman DA, Leserman J, Nachman G, Li ZM, Gluck H,
Toomey TC, Mitchell CM. Sexual
and physical abuse in women with functional or organic
gastrointestinal disorders. Ann In-
tern Med 1990; 113:828–833.
7. Mann SJ. Healing Hypertension. A Revolutionary New
Approach. Wiley, New York, N.Y.,
1999.
8. Mann SJ and Delon M. Improved hypertension control after
disclosure of decades-old trauma.
18. Psychosom Med 1995; 57:501–505.
9. Mann SJ. Severe paroxysmal hypertension
(pseudopheochromocytoma): Understanding its
cause and treatment. Arch Intern Med 1999; 159:670–674.
Reproducedwithpermissionofthecopyrightowner.Furtherreproduc
tionprohibitedwithoutpermission.
DataGapminder
name2008Afghanistan195.1880699702Albania10.5263157895Al
geria18.090585897Angola166.7950583838Argentina6.30683697
69Armenia9.8713539676Australia2.2673022097Austria1.93778
01213Azerbaijan18.4659948102Bahamas7.7931278781Bahrain6
.3680595306Bangladesh20.1347643898Barbados4.1972717733B
elarus6.4171122995Belgium2.480075327Belize11.0289172831B
enin82.27262885Bhutan45.8429404584Bolivia29.1606097737B
osnia and
Herzegovina6.6061346837Botswana14.9522417773Brazil10.793
7164357Brunei3.2154340836Bulgaria6.3694267516Burkina
Faso126.7695910587Burundi119.3588838121Cambodia58.3697
758096Cameroon95.8742671667Canada2.5261607737Cape
Verde12.3795280824Central African
Rep.121.3487233117Chad153.5624933541Chile4.2313678504C
hina9.0206457743Colombia7.6834384176Comoros64.20179037
67Congo, Rep.89.8403761876Costa Rica3.7250119306Cote
d'Ivoire69.1246346295Croatia2.086791558Cuba3.1146815536C
yprus2.1167221046Czech Rep.1.9249807502Korea, Dem.
Rep.27.1196283391Congo, Dem.
Rep.135.4227988628Denmark1.7808724671Djibouti57.0672400
959Dominican
Rep.14.2297638484Ecuador13.6448285316Egypt8.7495068446
El Salvador10.6083515635Equatorial
33. ts/2010/education_attainment/education_attainment.htmlLink
for target, when clicking source name in the graph. Preferably
the same as in the "Link to source organization" field in the
About-Sheet, but can also be left blank to target the link back to
the indicators about-page.Scale type linRequired! Type "lin" for
linear scale or "log" for logarithmic scale. Users will be able to
change it in the
graph.http://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/resources/data
sets/2010/education_attainment/education_attainment.html
DownloadDownload (coming soon)Dowload this indicator
including the dataAs XLS (Excel-file)[Download xls]As CSV
(comma separeted file)[Download csv]As PDF[Download pdf]
vVERSIONINDICATOR_V2_EN
DataRow
Labels19701971197219731974197519761977197819791980198
11982198319841985198619871988198919901991199219931994
19951996199719981999200020012002200320042005200620072
0082009Afghanistan11.111.110.09.19.18.38.37.77.77.16.713.31
2.511.811.811.110.510.510.010.09.514.313.613.613.012.512.51
2.015.415.414.814.814.313.817.216.716.116.118.818.8Albania1
01.7101.6100.0100.0100.0100.098.698.698.698.798.798.797.59
8.898.897.698.898.998.998.998.998.998.998.999.0100.0100.010
0.0100.0100.0100.0100.0100.0101.0101.0100.0100.9100.9101.9
101.9Algeria77.878.980.081.081.882.683.380.885.285.786.784.
487.988.689.289.590.090.588.689.191.589.892.090.492.592.792
.993.193.295.093.595.295.395.497.097.097.197.197.198.6Angol
a47.650.047.850.048.050.048.150.050.048.450.051.551.452.852
.653.853.754.853.554.555.656.557.458.359.260.064.064.765.46
6.066.767.367.969.670.270.772.472.973.375.0Antigua and
Barbuda103.8105.1104.9104.8106.0105.8105.7106.7106.6107.6
107.4107.4107.2108.1109.0107.8108.7108.6108.5109.3109.310
8.2109.0108.9108.8108.8109.6109.5109.4109.3109.2109.2109.1
108.2108.1108.1108.9108.0107.9107.9Argentina101.5102.9101.
4102.8102.7102.7102.6102.6103.8103.8103.7103.6103.6103.51
04.7104.6105.7105.6105.6105.5106.5106.5106.4106.3106.3107.
49. 359.258.859.662.361.862.563.864.465.667.767.269.269.770.172
.172.572.973.274.675.075.375.777.077.378.778.980.380.580.58
0.882.183.383.384.684.685.9Zimbabwe56.557.459.258.861.563.
064.363.866.167.268.367.769.770.670.071.872.673.374.075.675
.076.578.078.680.081.480.782.083.384.685.986.087.288.489.68
9.790.891.992.994.0
AboutMean years in school (women aged 25 to 34 as % men of
same age)Definition and explanationsIndicator nameMean years
in school (women aged 25 to 34 as % men of same
age)Definition of indicatorThe average number of years of
school attended by all people in the age and gender group
specified, including primary, secondary and tertiary education.
Unit of measurementData source Source organization(s)Institute
for Health Metrics and EvaluationLink to source
organizationhttp://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/Comple
te referenceIncreased educational attainment and its impact on
child mortality: a systematic analysis in 175 countries from
1970 to 2009.Link to complete
referencehttp://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/resources/d
atasets/2010/education_attainment/education_attainment.htmlSp
ecific information about this indicatorUploaderGapminderTime
of uploading12/10
2010http://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/http://www.hea
lthmetricsandevaluation.org/resources/datasets/2010/education_
attainment/education_attainment.html
FootnotesCountryYear(s)Footnote
SettingsIndicator-settings in the graphSource
nameIHMERequired! Text that will be shown next to the axis in
the graph (preferably the same as in the "Source
organization(s)" field in the About-Sheet).Source
linkhttp://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/resources/datase
ts/2010/education_attainment/education_attainment.htmlLink
for target, when clicking source name in the graph. Preferably
the same as in the "Link to source organization" field in the
About-Sheet, but can also be left blank to target the link back to
the indicators about-page.Scale type linRequired! Type "lin" for
50. linear scale or "log" for logarithmic scale. Users will be able to
change it in the
graph.http://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/resources/data
sets/2010/education_attainment/education_attainment.html
DownloadDownload (coming soon)Dowload this indicator
including the dataAs XLS (Excel-file)[Download xls]As CSV
(comma separeted file)[Download csv]As PDF[Download pdf]
vVERSIONINDICATOR_V2_EN
DataMaternal Mortality rate per 100
00018001801180218031804180518061807180818091810181118
12181318141815181618171818181918201821182218231824182
51826182718281829183018311832183318341835183618371838
18391840184118421843184418451846184718481849185018511
85218531854185518561857185818591860186118621863186418
65186618671868186918701871187218731874187518761877187
81879188018811882188318841885188618871888188918901891
18921893189418951896189718981899190019011902190319041
90519061907190819091910191119121913191419151916191719
18191919201921192219231924192519261927192819291930193
11932193319341935193619371938193919401941194219431944
19451946194719481949195019511952195319541955195619571
95819591960196119621963196419651966196719681969197019
71197219731974197519761977197819791980198119821983198
41985198619871988198919901991199219931994199519961997
19981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102
01120122013AbkhaziaAfghanistan1639.5120012001100730500
400Akrotiri and
DhekeliaAlbania57.7312928242121Algeria396.21601401201009
289American
SamoaAndorra6.26.3Angola1308.8140014001100750530460Ang
uillaAntigua and
Barbuda49.725.2Argentina80.4716063707669Armenia31475143
373129ArubaAustralia643592560609538556.4543.3505.8505.15
03.3483.9488.5459.5425.6527.3563.2470.8466.1500472.1451.6
511547564.1530.2592.4598.2508.2529.6548.5555.3513.2576.44
57. death is defined as the death of a women while pregnant or
within the 42 days after termination of that pregnancy,
regardless of the length and site of the pregnancy, from a cause
related to or aggravated by the pregnancy.Unit of
measurementData sourceSource organization(s)Various
sourcesLink to source
organizationhttp://www.gapminder.org/data/documentation/gd0
10/Complete referenceIHME (from 1980) and various historical
sources (1751-1979) - see Gapminder Documentation 010Link
to complete
referencehttp://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/ and
http://www.gapminder.org/data/documentation/gd010/IHME
1980:
http://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/publications/summa
ries/maternal-mortality-181-countries-1980-2008-systematic-
analysis-progress-towar#/data-methodsIHME 1990-2011:
http://www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/publications/summa
ries/progress-towards-millennium-development-goals-4-and-5-
maternal-and-child-mort#/data-methodsSpecific information
about this indicatorUploaderjbDate uploaded25.04.2013
FootnotesCountryYear(s)FootnoteFootnotes not available yet
SettingsIndicator-settings in the graphSource nameVarious
sourcesRequired! Text that will be shown next to the axis in the
graph (preferably the same as in the "Source organization(s)"
field in the About-Sheet).Source
linkhttp://www.gapminder.org/data/documentation/gd010/Link
for target, when clicking source name in the graph. Preferably
the same as in the "Link to source organization" field in the
About-Sheet, but can also be left blank to target the link back to
the indicators about-page.Scale typelogRequired! Type "lin" for
linear scale or "log" for logarithmic scale. Users will be able to
change it in the graph.
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