American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 155, No. 8 : 776
Copyright © 2002 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health
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From the Editor
In this note I want to draw your attention to "the book that doesn't exist." This is a book about the history of epidemiology as such! There are, of course, many books dealing with the application of epidemiology to the description and analysis of particular epidemics, John Snow's study of cholera in London being, perhaps, the classic of the genre (1
). Then, there are articles that chronicle aspects of the history of epidemiology. A good example of these efforts is David Lilienfeld's prize-winning essay on the origins of epidemiology as a science in England during the last half of the 19th century (2). One attempt to provide a comprehensive history of the field was provided by Dora Roth's doctoral thesis, "The Scientific Basis of Epidemiology: An Historical and Philosophical Enquiry," but this work is not readily accessible and does not give consideration to the technical developments of the field (3). Similarly, Winslow's thoughtful essay, "Conquest of Epidemic Disease: A Chapter in the History of Ideas," besides being seriously outdated (and out of print), does not consider the technical aspects of the field (4). Toward the end of his life, Abraham M. Lilienfeld ("Abe") turned his attention increasingly to historical aspects of epidemiology in a series of articles jointly authored by his son, David. At the time of his death, Abe was reportedly about to embark on a sabbatical leave to write a comprehensive history of the field.
If for no other reason, we need a comprehensive history of epidemiology to augment our teaching of the principles and methods of epidemiology. After all, epidemiology is taught in virtually every medical school and all schools of public health worldwide. One approach to filling this lacuna would be to organize a symposium on the subject and publish the presentations! Anybody interested?
REFERENCES
- Snow J. On the mode of communication of cholera. In: Snow on cholera. (Reprint). 2nd ed. New York, NY: The Commonwealth Fund, 1936.
- Lilienfeld DE. "The greening of epidemiology": sanitary physicians and the London Epidemiological Society (1830–1870). Bull Hist Med 1978;52:503–28.[ISI][Medline]
- Roth D. The scientific basis of epidemiology: an historical and philosophical enquiry. (PhD thesis). Berkeley, CA: University of California, 1976.
- Winslow CE-A. Conquest of epidemic disease: a chapter in the history of ideas. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1943.
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  A. Morabia From the Guest Editor Am. J. Epidemiol., August 1, 2002; 156(3): 292 - 292. [Full Text] [PDF]
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