E-Book Overview
Dictionary making never ends because languages are always changing. Widely used throughout the world, this book will continue to serve as the standard English-language dictionary of epidemiology in its Fourth Edition. It covers all the common terms used in epidemiology and many from related fields such as biostatistics, infectious disease control, health promotion, genetics, clinical epidemiology, health economics, and medical ethics. The definitions are clear and concise, but there is space for some brief essays and discussions of the provenance of important terms. Sponsored by the International Epidemiological Association, the dictionary represents the consensus of epidemiologists in many different countries. All the definitions were reviewed repeatedly by an international network of contributors from every major branch of epidemiology. They are authoritative without being authoritarian. The Fourth Edition contains well over 150 new entries and substantial revisions of about the same number of definitions, plus a dozen new illustrations. Many of the new terms relate to methods used in environmental and clinical epidemiology.
E-Book Content
A Dictionary of Epidemiology
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A DICTIONARY OF
EPIDEMIOLOGY FOURTH EDITION
Edited for the International Epidemiological Association by
John M. Last Associate Editors
Robert A. Spasoff Susan S. Harris Michel C. Thuriaux Linguistic and lexicographic consultant
Janet Byron Anderson
OXPORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
2001
OXTORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Oxford New York Athens Auckland Bangkok Bogota Buenos Aires Calcutta Cape Town Chennai Dar es Salaam Delhi Florence Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Mumbai Nairobi Paris Sao Paulo Shanghai Singapore Taipei Tokyo Toronto Warsaw and associated companies in Berlin Ibadan
Copyright © 1983, 1988, 1995, 2001 International Epidemiological Association, Inc. Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 http: / /www. oup-usa.org All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A dictionary of epidemiology / edited for the International Epidemiological Association by John M. Last; associate editors, Robert A. Spasoff. .. [et al.].—4th ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-0-19-514169-6 ISBN 0-19-514168-7—ISBN 0-19-514169-5 (pbk.) 1. Epidemiology—Dictionaries. I. Last, John M., 1926II. International Epidemiological Association. RA651.D553 2000 614.4'03—dc21 00-037504
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Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
Foreword
If I had to limit my professional bookcase to a single volume, I would choose this dictionary. With many new entries, updates, and other refinements in the fourth edition, the dictionary has grown from the original slim pocket book into a mature and substantial volume. John Last and his collaborators must be congratulated for their extraordinary devotion and productivity over the past 20 years, from which epidemiologists around the world have benefited. The dictionary's authority stems from its international recognition. It is an immediate source for students and practitioners to verify their understanding of the increasing number of technical words in epidemiologic practice. It clarifies concepts that may not have been understood in class, fills many gaps in anyone's education, and jogs the memory of near-forgotten terms. It has no equal in the field of epidemiology. The International Epidemiological A