epidemiology
ep-ih-dee-mee-OL-uh-jee
/ˌɛpɪdiːmiˈɒlədʒi/
The branch of medicine which deals with the incidence, distribution, and possible control of diseases and other factors relating to health.
It is the 'detective work' of medicine, focusing on populations rather than individual patients.
The story behind the word. Coined from Greek roots, it literally means 'the study of what is upon the people'. It became a formal discipline in the 19th century, famously pioneered by John Snow during the London cholera outbreaks.
Word relationships
- public health science: Public health is the broader field, while epidemiology is the specific mathematical and investigative tool within it.
Commonly confused with
- pathology: Pathology studies the disease in the body; epidemiology studies the disease in the population.
Word family
- epidemiologist (noun): A scientist who studies epidemiology.
- epidemiological (adjective): Relating to epidemiology.
Collocations
- field of epidemiology
- epidemiology study
- modern epidemiology
Example sentences
- "Epidemiology provides the data necessary to make informed public health decisions during a crisis." Describing the field of study.
- "She decided to study epidemiology to understand why certain diseases affect specific neighborhoods more than others." A career description.
Memory hook
EPIdemiology is about the EPI-center of the DEMOS (people). Study of the people.
When not to use
Do not use when referring to the treatment of a single patient; use 'clinical medicine' instead.
Fun facts
- John Snow, the 'father of epidemiology', traced a cholera outbreak to a single water pump handle in London in 1854.
Explore more words
epidemic, incidence, etiology, prevalence, morbidity, pathogenesis
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