Epidemiology

First, I commend you for such an excellent post. I have enjoyed reading it and realizing your insights. Secondly, I agree with you that epidemiology has played an important in understanding the distribution and determinants of diseases affecting the human population.  One of my most influential people in epidemiology is John Snow, as he took part in the significant development of new trends for epidemiology. By definition, epidemiology refers to how population relates with determinants and the spread of disease. According to Fleming, epidemiology is also the procedure used to measure disease intensity in specific populations (Fleming, 2015). Epidemiology has also been used to determine the causes that lead to disease burden. Epidemiology has become a powerful tool in the health care services that have impacted different communities’ health today.  

  John Snow was among the founder member of epidemiology and described it as a study of health with population.  His great work became eminent after tracking the spread of cholera which had merely hit London in 1854. At that time, opinions held that cholera was spread by miasmas or contact between individuals (Sphweb, 2015). But Snow compared communities in his mapping process, which gave birth to epidemiology. He established that the broad street pump initiated the spread of cholera, by which he forwarded his result to the municipal officers. After the pump was discarded, the outbreak ceased.

Through his research work, Snow marked the beginning of a new way of conducting epidemiology trends. In his study, he started by investigating areas where cholera-affected people lived (CDC, 2012). John Snow was very significant in initiating the new trends in epidemiology since he was able to get to the root of the spread of cholera. As a result, most epidemiologists use the sequence and steps used by john to determine factors that lead to an outbreak of disease.

References

Fleming, S. T. (2008). Managerial Epidemiology: Concepts and cases (3rd ed.). Chicago, IL: Health Administration Press. ISBN 13: 978-1-56793-684-1

CDC (2012). Principles of Epidemiology | Lesson 1 – Section 2. Cdc.gov. Retrieved 29 October 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dsepd/ss1978/lesson1/section2.html.

Sphweb (2015). John Snow – The Father of Epidemiology. Sphweb.bumc.bu.edu. Retrieved 29 October 2021, from https://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/mph-modules/ph/publichealthhistory/publichealthhistory6.html.