Epidemiology

What is epidemiology? What are the causes of a new disease? How can pandemics be prevented? Epidemiology is the study of the changing patterns of disease and its main aim is to improve the health of populations. It’s a vital field, central to the health of society, to the identification of causes of disease, and to their management and prevention. Epidemiology has had an impact on many areas of medicine; from
discovering the relationship between tobacco smoking and lung cancer, to the origin and spread of new epidemics. However, it is often poorly understood, largely due to misrepresentations in the
media. In this Very Short Introduction Rodolfo Saracci dispels some of the myths surrounding the study of epidemiology. He provides a general explanation of the principles behind clinical trials, and explains the nature of basic statistics concerning disease. He also looks at the ethical and political issues related to obtaining and using information concerning patients, and trials involving placebos. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short
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Author Biography

Rodolfo Saracci is Honorary Director of research in epidemiology with the Italian National Research Council and Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Arhus, Denmark. He holds postgraduate diplomas in internal medicine and medical statistics. He has worked at the World Health Organisation (WHO) for nearly thirty years and has published over 180 peer-reviewed papers.