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Epi Wit & Wisdom Articles
A Plug For Epidemiologists
The March 1983 issue of Science
features a story on Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, and the
accompanying editorial makes for gratifying reading. Excerpts follow:
“If you read the newspapers, the
implantation of Barney Clark’s artificial heart cannot have escaped
your notice. The press attention was enormous but what was often left
unsaid is that the impact on the collective health of the nation is
next to nil. By contrast, the work of the Centers for Disease Control
in Atlanta affects the health of the nation as a whole, in ways that
most of us are unaware of. We tend to take for granted our present
freedom from the great outbreaks of infectious disease. It is a
freedom gained in large part from the persistent medical detective
work of the epidemiologists. Compared to a more visible field such as
surgery, epidemiology might be thought lacking in drama. But just now
the CDC is caught up in an epic case that has already more twists and
turns than a John MacDonald thriller. It is also a reminder of how
much we owe these front line practitioners, for the diseases we don’t
get.”
Published April 1983 v
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