In a world of rapid transportation and increased movement of people across national borders, accurate knowledge of
epidemiology and demography has become crucial to public health. Epidemiological and demographic issues, such as
changes in the growth and health of local populations and the differences between local residents and migrant or
transient populations (such as tourists, business people, immigrants, or refugees), their health status, what they do when
they arrive at their destination, and their impact on local populations, are all significant public health concerns. This
volume addresses the need for expert and current knowledge on those concerns and the public health dimension of
epidemiology and demography by presenting a collection of 52 chapters, 50 of them from the International Encyclopedia of
Public Health published by Elsevier in 2008 and two briefer versions of relevant articles published elsewhere. The 52
chapters are divided into six sections: overview of history, concepts, principles and methods; fields of epidemiology;
epidemiology of specific diseases; demography; biostatistics; and ethical issues.
The chapters in the first section provide an overview of the history, concepts, principles, and methods of epidemiology.
In his comprehensive chapter on the history of epidemiology, L.M. Irgens traces the history of the field from
ancient times through the fight against the great plagues, syphilis, smallpox and other epidemics, to modern times.
The concepts of health and disease and their common and scientific meanings are discussed by D. Czeresnia and
T.C. Soares. The chapter by C.D. Mathers deals with the global burden of disease and disability and its impact on
economic development. R. Jakob examines the development of efforts in disease classification looking into the guiding
principles, accuracy, and other aspects. The discussion of efforts to classify and measure mental disorders is presented in
the chapters by B. Ustun, and T.S. Brugha and H. Meltzer, respectively. In his chapter on observational epidemiology,
J.L. Kelsey offers an interesting analysis of descriptive, analytical, case-control and cohort studies among other issues
of study design. Health surveys that have traditionally been methodological tools in health and sociological research
are becoming a regular feature in public health and J. Madans presents a wide-ranging discussion of these surveys.
The chapter on clinical trials byW. Harlan provides a comprehensive discussion of the methods of testing the efficacy of
medical and public health interventions. Following these methodological chapters, Arita, Nakane and Nakano’s chapter
on surveillance of disease offers a comprehensive discussion of systems and types of surveillance of both diseases in
general and their causes.