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What Does Epidemiology Do? - Answer- Epidemiologic methods are used to investigate
causes of diseases, to identify trends in disease occurrence that may influence the need
for medical and public health services, and to evaluate the effectiveness of medical and
public health interventions. Epidemiology studies the patterns of disease occurrence in
human populations and the factors that influence these patterns.
Epidemic and Endemic - Answer- An epidemic is an increase in the frequency of a
disease above the usual and expected rate, which is called the endemic rate. Thus,
epidemiologists count cases of a disease, and ask who, when, and where questions.
John Snow - Answer- The first example of the use of epidemiology to study and control
a disease occurred in London between 1853 and 1854. It was conducted by a British
physician, John Snow, who is known as the father of modern epidemiology. Snow was
concerned about a cholera epidemic that had struck London in 1848. He noticed that
death rates were especially high in parts of the city with water supplied by two private
companies, both of which drew water from the Thames River at a point heavily polluted
with sewage. Between 1849 and 1854, the Lambeth Company changed its source to an
area of the Thames that was free of pollution from London's sewers. Snow noticed that
the number of cholera deaths declined in the section of London supplied by the
Lambeth Company, while there was no change in the sections supplied by the
Southwark and Vauxhall Company. He formulated the hypothesis that cholera was
spread by polluted drinking water. In 1853, there was a severe outbreak of cholera
concentrated in the Broad Street area of London, in which some houses were supplied
by one water company and some by the other. This provided an opportunity for Snow to
test his hypothesis in a kind of natural experiment. Snow went to each house in which
someone had died of cholera between August 1853 and January 1854 to determine
which company supplied the water. When he tabulated the results, he found that the
rate of cholera deaths was thus 8.5 times higher in houses supplied by the Southwark
and Vauxhall Company than those supplied by the Lambeth Company. This was
convincing evidence that deaths from cholera were linked with the source of water.
Useful Data for Epidemiologists - Answer- Now, the governments of all developed
countries collect data on births, deaths, and other vital statistics. These data are often
used for epidemiologic studies.
Epidemiology and the Causes of Chronic Disease - Answer- Until the mid-20th century,
these conditions were thought of as a natural part of aging, and no one thought to look
for causes or tried to prevent them.