Abstract

BARROS, Henrique. Evolution of the epidemiological thinking . Arq Med [online]. 2006, vol.20, n.4, pp.121-125. ISSN 2183-2447.

Epidemiology is recognized as a fundamental science for both public health and clinics, providing technical approaches, methodological solutions and original information essential to answer the different challenges posed in the field of health research, from the identification of needs to the evaluation of interventions. The extent of the method that justifies epidemiology as an autonomous scientific discipline and the comprehensiveness of its domains, both fundamental and substantive, make epidemiology one of the most fascinating and, by nature, modern areas of medical knowledge and reasoning. This article covers the landmarks that contributed to shape the epidemiological thinking throughout history, and the challenges currently faced by this discipline.

Keywords : epidemiology; history.

        · abstract in Portuguese     · text in Portuguese     · Portuguese ( pdf )