American Journal of Epidemiology Vol. 155, No. 9 : 881
Copyright © 2002 by The Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health
BOOK REVIEWS |
From the Editor
Since many readers of this column, including your Editor, are involved in teaching health-sciences professionals in a wide variety of fields, access to and utilization of a wide range of printed resources is de rigueur. Thus, my attention was drawn to two laudatory book reviews appearing in the March 27th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, namely "Ecosystems, Public Health" (1
) and "Ethics" (2). Both of these reviews address introductory surveys that can be used as either reference sources or textbooks, depending on the pedagogic setting (3, 4).
As the epidemiologic paradigm evolves (5), it becomes more and more apparent that the distributions of diseases in populations are outcomes of increasingly complex interactions between agent, host, and environmental factors (the "web of causation"). Accordingly, the epidemiologic paradigm and the ecologic paradigm are converging. This convergence gives credence to the usefulness and importance for epidemiologists of an overview such as Ecosystem Change and Public Health: A Global Perspective (3). As the reviewer, Jean Lebel, indicates, this book may be useful for providing background information on ecologic issues and may be found suitable as a textbook for many introductory courses.
Inclusion of course work dealing with ethical issues is now an accepted and, indeed, required component of any graduate program in epidemiology. Principles of Biomed-ical Ethics (4), by Beauchamp and Childress, has been a standard source since its first publication in 1979. This new edition, the fifth, has many editorial and substantive revisions. According to the reviewer, Theodore Fleisher, "This well established text... has not remained static but has evolved as bioethics has changed. The fifth edition is a superb example of how an already excellent text can be made even better" (2, p. 1582).
These excellent reviews provide an introduction to two potentially useful tools for epidemiology teachers!
REFERENCES
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Lebel J. Ecosystems, public health. (Book review). JAMA 2002;287:1581.
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Fleisher T. Ethics. (Book review). JAMA 2002;287:1582–3.
[Free Full Text] - Aron JL, Patz JA, eds. Ecosystem change and public health: a global perspective. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001.
- Beauchamp TL, Childress JF. Principles of biomedical ethics. 5th ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2001.
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Winkelstein W. Eras, paradigms, and the future of epidemiology. (Editorial). Am J Public Health 1996;86:621–2.
[Free Full Text]
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