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This book is the principal account of epidemiology's role in the development of effective measures to identify, prevent, and treat diseases. Throughout history, epidemiologists have challenged conventional knowledge, elucidating mysteries of causality and paving the way for remedies. From the outbreak of the bubonic plague, cholera, and cancer to the search for an effective treatment of AIDS and the origins of Alzheimer's disease, epidemiological thought has been crucial in shaping our understanding of population health issues. Alfredo Morabia's lucid retelling sheds new light on the historical triumphs of epidemiological research and allows for contemporary readers, patients, and nontechnical audiences to make sense of the immense amount of health information disseminated by the media. By drawing from both historical and contemporary sources, Morabia provides the reader with the tools to differentiate health beliefs from health knowledge. The book covers important topics, including the H1N1 swine flu epidemic, breast cancer, the effects of aspirin, and the link between cigarettes and lung cancer.
Enigmas of Health and Disease is a concise narrative helping patients and health providers develop a more informed relationship.
List of contents
Preface to the English EditionPrologue: A Science Named Epidemiology1. Comparing Groups and the Fifth Dimension2. People, Bugs, and Epidemics3. Plague's Shark Teeth and Seamen's Enigmatic Exhaustion4. The Mystery of the Blue Death5. The Numerical Method6. Eugenics, Oysters, Sour Skin, and Breast Cancer7. Tobacco and Health: The Great Controversy8. Daily Life Mysteries and Epidemiology9. Is This Treatment Dangerous for Health?10. Does the Treatment Work?11. What Is the Optimal Medical Decision?12. Health Risk or Health Benefit?13. Is This Screening Useful?14. Group Comparisons Also Fail15. Epidemiologic Literacy and "Earthly Self-Realization"16. Beyond EpidemiologyEpilogue: The End of Epidemiology?Appendix 1: Interaction of CausesAppendix 2: Odds Ratio and Risk RatioAppendix 3: Why Cohort and Case--Control Studies ConcurAppendix 4: Where Do the Cases of Lung Cancer Come From?NotesBibliographyIndex
About the author
Alfredo Morabia is a professor of epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, and at Queens College, City University of New York. He is editor in chief emeritus of Preventive Medicine and the editor of "Epidemiology in History" in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Summary
Adaptation of: Sante / Alfredo Morabia. 2011.
