The purpose of this assignment is to familiarize yourself with individuals who have made major contributions to the field of epidemiology. Looking back at history, epidemics of infectious diseases have been acknowledged dating back to the earliest times, describing epidemics of smallpox, measles, the bubonic plague, syphilis, and leprosy, all of which have influenced the outcome of exploration, military adventures, and colonization, as well as industrial development and the arts. Public health must continue to focus on identifying effective ways of improving health related to factors that contribute to morbidity and mortality by developing interventions that involve whole communities to be more health conscious.
Research the following individuals and their roles in shaping contemporary epidemiology:
John Graunt
James Lind
Edward Jenner
Ignaz Semmelweis
John Snow
Examine the history, principles, and application of epidemiology and write a 1,000-1,250-paper to explain your findings. Choose one of the individuals from your research and include the following:
Define epidemiology and discuss its purpose and importance to public health.
Describe the disease and the event or major contribution in which the individual you selected was involved. Using descriiptive epidemiology, discuss how common the disease was at the time, who was infected, when it occurred (time of year or season), and the mode of transmission. If the individual is not associated with a specific disease, discuss a significant disease happening during that period.
Explain how the individual influenced epidemiology and discuss the advanced epidemiological methods and process the individual used to describe and control disease. Discuss how the individual’s contributions helped to inform the application definition of epidemiology in public health.
Describe three subspecialties within epidemiology. Refer to the “Subspecialties in Epidemiology” resource, as needed for assistance.
You are required to cite to a minimum of three sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and public health content.