HLST 1010 Chapter 1: Chapter 1.docx
Document Summary
Chapter 1: epidemiological approaches to population health - stephen bezruchka. Epidemiology is the study of health and its determinants in specified populations with the goal of improving health. Used for the last 125 years and it concerned with illness and wellbeing rather than health and health care. The gap between the rich and poor is the key factor in producing health. The gap matters most in early life, between conception and age 5. The origins of epidemiology: john snow; studied people who had cholera in london 150 years go. By plotting the incidence of death on maps, he discovered an association between deaths in various districts and the sources of drinking water. He went door to door, counting deaths and asking about those homes water sources. He hypothesized that the plague was spread by contaminated water from evacuations of infected people. Snow removed the offending pumps handles although he did not understand that it was bacteria that spread the disease.