Reference Reviews

Lawrence Looks at Books

Encyclopedia of Epidemiology, edited by Sarah Boslaugh. 2 vols. p.1,145. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2008. 978-1-4129-2816-8; 2007-31747. $350.

Encyclopedia of Epidemiology Throughout history, the lack of understanding and fear of disease have often combined to limit its control and hasten its spread. In both ancient and medieval times, victims of disease were often shunned and cast out of society. When particularly virulent contagions appeared, whole cities might flee in panic, thus spreading plague, smallpox or cholera further afield. As understanding grew, public officials might still doubt the connection of contaminated water, insect bites, or invisible creatures to particular pestilences. The need for vaccines, boiling water, improving sanitation, or undertaking expensive projects to drain swamps was frequently questioned. Even in modern times, the earliest victims of AIDS were stigmatized; parents resist vaccinating young girls against the virus that causes most cervical cancers; and the appearance of SARS panicked travelers worldwide.
On the other hand, the SARS outbreak also demonstrated how far our understanding of disease and our ability to control it has come. The disease first caught international attention in February 2003, after the exposure of 14 hotel workers and guests by a single individual in Hong Kong led to outbreaks in Singapore, Hanoi, Toronto and elsewhere. By the time the epidemic was contained in July, more than 8,000 cases were reported in 29 countries with at least 774 deaths. Working quickly to identify and trace the cause to Guangdong province in China, cooperating health officials helped the world medical profession detect, isolate and control the contagion. The ability of the health sector to respond to this global threat had everything to do with advances in epidemiological methods. Understanding the causes of disease and how they spread permits the possibility of controlling them.
The battles to contain SARS, AIDS and avian flu are but a few examples of the growing importance of epidemiology. The field has long since moved beyond the study of infectious disease to examine chronic illnesses, mental conditions, human behavior, environmental risks and other factors affecting the health of populations. This new encyclopedia explores these expanding activities and the many dimensions of epidemiology. The intended audience includes training epidemiologists as well as other public health professionals needing an understanding of basic concepts, theories and methods in the field. The 455 articles introduce founding figures and fundamental approaches to studying the spread of disease. Relationships to associated fields of behavioral science, genetics, health care management and medical research are explained. However the most detail is reserved for the use of statistics and other research methods. Also defined are essential concepts like biomarkers and screening. So, too, are questions of ethics, differences in branches of epidemiology and the role professional organizations in promoting the understanding of health issues. This-well organized guide to the profession is highly recommended for academic collections.

— John Lawrence