Science Atlas

How We Know What We Know
Disciplines

Epidemiology

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Epidemiology is the study of how disease is distributed in populations and what factors determine that distribution, work that underlies public health practice from outbreak investigation to prevention policy.

Facts
Founded Year
1854 1
Central Question
What in a population, rather than in any one patient, explains why a disease spreads or a health outcome occurs, and what intervention at the population level would change that outcome? 2
Scope
Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states and events in specified populations, and the application of that study to controlling health problems. 2
Significance
John Snow's investigation of the 1854 Broad Street cholera outbreak in London, tracing cases to a single contaminated water pump years before the germ theory of disease was established, is widely regarded as the founding achievement of modern epidemiology. 2
Cross-Tradition Connections

Founded By

Has Scientist

Part Of

Studies

In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. John Snow (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaView the Source
2. Epidemiology (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead section
Quote, Lead section
Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution, patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population, and application of this knowledge to prevent diseases.
View the Source
2. Epidemiology (Wikipedia)
WikipediaFounded By: John SnowView the Source
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