Abstract
Epidemiologists may benefit from the disciplines of history, philosophy of science, ethics, literature, and art. Within these disciplines lie answers to the questions of who we are, what is right, how to think, and when to act. Studying and participating in the humanities may also help epidemiologists focus their professional concerns on the humanity their methods serve. A parallel phenomenon in the clinical sciences--medical humanities--provides support for the approach (and some lessons).
Full text
PDF




Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Anderson A. D. A collection of poetry by a physician with progressive neurological disease. J Chronic Dis. 1984;37(11):863–868. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(84)90019-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Arnold R. M., Povar G. J., Howell J. D. The humanities, humanistic behavior, and the humane physician: a cautionary note. Ann Intern Med. 1987 Feb;106(2):313–318. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-106-2-313. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Beauchamp T. L., Cook R. R., Fayerweather W. E., Raabe G. K., Thar W. E., Cowles S. R., Spivey G. H. Ethical guidelines for epidemiologists. J Clin Epidemiol. 1991;44 (Suppl 1):151S–169S. doi: 10.1016/0895-4356(91)90192-c. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bollet A. J. Pierre Louis: the numerical method and the foundation of quantitative medicine. Am J Med Sci. 1973 Aug;266(2):92–101. doi: 10.1097/00000441-197308000-00002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Brieger G. H. Do the humanities make for humane physicians? Pharos Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Med Soc. 1994 Summer;57(3):42–42. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Buck C. Problems with the Popperian approach: a response to Pearce and Crawford-Brown. J Clin Epidemiol. 1989;42(3):185–187. doi: 10.1016/0895-4356(89)90054-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Clouser K. D. Humanities in medical education: some contributions. J Med Philos. 1990 Jun;15(3):289–301. doi: 10.1093/jmp/15.3.289. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Coughlin S. S., Beauchamp T. L. Ethics, scientific validity, and the design of epidemiologic studies. Epidemiology. 1992 Jul;3(4):343–347. doi: 10.1097/00001648-199207000-00009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Engelhardt H. T., Jr The birth of the medical humanities and the rebirth of the philosophy of medicine: the vision of Edmund D. Pellegrino. J Med Philos. 1990 Jun;15(3):237–241. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Foxman B. Epidemiologists and public health policy. J Clin Epidemiol. 1989;42(11):1107–1109. doi: 10.1016/0895-4356(89)90052-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Fraser D. W. Epidemiology as a liberal art. N Engl J Med. 1987 Feb 5;316(6):309–314. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198702053160605. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Gordis L. Challenges to epidemiology in the next decade. Am J Epidemiol. 1988 Jul;128(1):1–9. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114931. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Graham S. Enhancing creativity in epidemiology. Am J Epidemiol. 1988 Aug;128(2):249–253. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114964. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Greenberg B. G. The future of epidemiology. J Chronic Dis. 1983;36(4):353–359. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(83)90121-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Ipsen J. Priorities in epidemiology of the future. Scand J Soc Med. 1976;4(2):53–56. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Levine R. S., Hersh C. B., Hodder R. A. Historical patterns of pesticide epidemiology research from 1945 to 1988. Epidemiology. 1990 Mar;1(2):181–184. doi: 10.1097/00001648-199003000-00018. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lilienfeld A. M., Garagliano F., Lilienfeld D. E. Epidemiology 101: the new frontier. Int J Epidemiol. 1978 Dec;7(4):377–380. doi: 10.1093/ije/7.4.377. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lilienfeld A. M., Lilienfeld D. E. A century of case-control studies: progress? J Chronic Dis. 1979;32(1-2):5–13. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(79)90004-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lilienfeld A. M., Lilienfeld D. E. The 1979 Health Clark lectures. 'The epidemiologic fabric'. I--Weaving the threads. Int J Epidemiol. 1980 Sep;9(3):199–206. doi: 10.1093/ije/9.3.199. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lilienfeld A. M., Lilienfeld D. E. The 1979 Heath Clark Lectures. 'The epidemiologic fabric'. II. The London Bridge--it never fell. Int J Epidemiol. 1980 Dec;9(4):299–304. doi: 10.1093/ije/9.4.299. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lilienfeld D. E. "The greening of epidemiology": sanitary physicians and the London Epidemiological Society (1830-1870). Bull Hist Med. 1978 Winter;52(4):503–528. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Lilienfeld D. E. Epidemiology 101: II. An undergraduate prospectus. Int J Epidemiol. 1979 Jun;8(2):181–183. doi: 10.1093/ije/8.2.181. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Loomis D., Wing S. Is molecular epidemiology a germ theory for the end of the twentieth century? Int J Epidemiol. 1990 Mar;19(1):1–3. doi: 10.1093/ije/19.1.1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Moore A. R. Sounding board. Medical humanities--a new medical adventure. N Engl J Med. 1976 Dec 23;295(26):1479–1480. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197612232952610. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Pearce N., Crawford-Brown D. Critical discussion in epidemiology: problems with the Popperian approach. J Clin Epidemiol. 1989;42(3):177–184. doi: 10.1016/0895-4356(89)90053-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Pellegrino E. D. Educating the humanist physician. An ancient ideal reconsidered. JAMA. 1974 Mar 18;227(11):1288–1294. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Pellegrino E. D. Medical practice and the new curricula. JAMA. 1970 Aug 3;213(5):748–752. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Pellegrino E. D. Teaching medical ethics: some persistent questions and some responses. Acad Med. 1989 Dec;64(12):701–703. doi: 10.1097/00001888-198912000-00002. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Renton A. Epidemiology and causation: a realist view. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1994 Feb;48(1):79–85. doi: 10.1136/jech.48.1.79. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Rothman K. J., Poole C. Science and policy making. Am J Public Health. 1985 Apr;75(4):340–341. doi: 10.2105/ajph.75.4.340. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Rothman K. J. The rise and fall of epidemiology, 1950--2000 A.D. N Engl J Med. 1981 Mar 5;304(10):600–602. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198103053041010. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Self D. J., Wolinsky F. D., Baldwin D. C., Jr The effect of teaching medical ethics on medical students' moral reasoning. Acad Med. 1989 Dec;64(12):755–759. doi: 10.1097/00001888-198912000-00014. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Soskolne C. L. Epidemiology: questions of science, ethics, morality, and law. Am J Epidemiol. 1989 Jan;129(1):1–18. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a115098. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Stolley P. D. Faith, evidence, and the epidemiologist. J Public Health Policy. 1985 Mar;6(1):37–42. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Stolley P. D., Lasky T. Johannes Fibiger and his Nobel Prize for the hypothesis that a worm causes stomach cancer. Ann Intern Med. 1992 May 1;116(9):765–769. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-116-9-765. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Susser M. Epidemiology in the United States after World War II: the evolution of technique. Epidemiol Rev. 1985;7:147–177. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.epirev.a036280. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Terris M. Epidemiology and the public health movement. J Public Health Policy. 1987 Autumn;8(3):315–329. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Terris M. The Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) and the future of epidemiology. Am J Epidemiol. 1992 Oct 15;136(8):909–915. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a116563. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Terris M. The changing relationships of epidemiology and society: the Robert Cruikshank lecture. J Public Health Policy. 1985 Mar;6(1):15–36. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Vandenbroucke J. P. Is 'the causes of cancer' a miasma theory for the end of the twentieth century? Int J Epidemiol. 1988 Dec;17(4):708–709. doi: 10.1093/ije/17.4.708. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Vandenbroucke J. P. Those who were wrong. Am J Epidemiol. 1989 Jul;130(1):3–5. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a115320. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Weed D. L. Epidemiology's triple crown. J Chronic Dis. 1987;40(9):905–906. doi: 10.1016/0021-9681(87)90191-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Weed D. L. Historical roots of the healthy worker effect. J Occup Med. 1986 May;28(5):343–347. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Weed D. L. Science, ethics guidelines, and advocacy in epidemiology. Ann Epidemiol. 1994 Mar;4(2):166–171. doi: 10.1016/1047-2797(94)90064-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wynder E. L. Applied epidemiology. Am J Epidemiol. 1985 Jun;121(6):781–782. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114048. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
