Peter Ludwig Panum and the Danish School of Epidemiology
One of the major historical questions of public health has been, "What causes epidemic outbreaks of disease?" Epidemiology, the basic science of public health, has only relatively recently emerged from a period during which epidemic outbreaks were attributed to miasmas. Miasma theory, a co...
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ftbrighamyoung:oai:scholarsarchive.byu.edu:thebridge-1358 2023-07-23T04:19:11+02:00 Peter Ludwig Panum and the Danish School of Epidemiology Melgaard, Craig A. Golbeck, Amanda L. 2014-01-01T08:00:00Z application/pdf https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/thebridge/vol37/iss2/7 https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/context/thebridge/article/1358/viewcontent/02_Peter_Ludwig.pdf unknown BYU ScholarsArchive https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/thebridge/vol37/iss2/7 https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/context/thebridge/article/1358/viewcontent/02_Peter_Ludwig.pdf The Bridge epidemics miasma theory contagion theory measles European History European Languages and Societies Regional Sociology text 2014 ftbrighamyoung 2023-07-03T22:04:30Z One of the major historical questions of public health has been, "What causes epidemic outbreaks of disease?" Epidemiology, the basic science of public health, has only relatively recently emerged from a period during which epidemic outbreaks were attributed to miasmas. Miasma theory, a common folk theory of disease ascribed to by many ancient writers, was codified by Lancisi in 1717 in De Noxiis Paludum Effiuviis. This text held that bad air quality, supposedly caused by decaying organic matter, made those who inhaled it ill. "Miasma" was believed to pass from cases to susceptibles in those diseases considered to be contagious (Porta 2008, 155). One of the major figures in shifting the focus of epidemiology from miasma theory to contagion theory was Dr. Peter Panum of Denmark, who lived and worked in the mid 1800s, and whose work is still presented in public health training programs in the United States. In this article we will review Panum's landmark research on miasma and contagion during an epidemic of measles in the Faroe Islands of Denmark and show how it bridged pre-modem and modem medical science, as well as promoting the scientific revolution of germ theories of disease in both Europe and the United States. Text Faroe Islands Brigham Young University (BYU): ScholarsArchive Faroe Islands |
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epidemics miasma theory contagion theory measles European History European Languages and Societies Regional Sociology |
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epidemics miasma theory contagion theory measles European History European Languages and Societies Regional Sociology Melgaard, Craig A. Golbeck, Amanda L. Peter Ludwig Panum and the Danish School of Epidemiology |
topic_facet |
epidemics miasma theory contagion theory measles European History European Languages and Societies Regional Sociology |
description |
One of the major historical questions of public health has been, "What causes epidemic outbreaks of disease?" Epidemiology, the basic science of public health, has only relatively recently emerged from a period during which epidemic outbreaks were attributed to miasmas. Miasma theory, a common folk theory of disease ascribed to by many ancient writers, was codified by Lancisi in 1717 in De Noxiis Paludum Effiuviis. This text held that bad air quality, supposedly caused by decaying organic matter, made those who inhaled it ill. "Miasma" was believed to pass from cases to susceptibles in those diseases considered to be contagious (Porta 2008, 155). One of the major figures in shifting the focus of epidemiology from miasma theory to contagion theory was Dr. Peter Panum of Denmark, who lived and worked in the mid 1800s, and whose work is still presented in public health training programs in the United States. In this article we will review Panum's landmark research on miasma and contagion during an epidemic of measles in the Faroe Islands of Denmark and show how it bridged pre-modem and modem medical science, as well as promoting the scientific revolution of germ theories of disease in both Europe and the United States. |
format |
Text |
author |
Melgaard, Craig A. Golbeck, Amanda L. |
author_facet |
Melgaard, Craig A. Golbeck, Amanda L. |
author_sort |
Melgaard, Craig A. |
title |
Peter Ludwig Panum and the Danish School of Epidemiology |
title_short |
Peter Ludwig Panum and the Danish School of Epidemiology |
title_full |
Peter Ludwig Panum and the Danish School of Epidemiology |
title_fullStr |
Peter Ludwig Panum and the Danish School of Epidemiology |
title_full_unstemmed |
Peter Ludwig Panum and the Danish School of Epidemiology |
title_sort |
peter ludwig panum and the danish school of epidemiology |
publisher |
BYU ScholarsArchive |
publishDate |
2014 |
url |
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/thebridge/vol37/iss2/7 https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/context/thebridge/article/1358/viewcontent/02_Peter_Ludwig.pdf |
geographic |
Faroe Islands |
geographic_facet |
Faroe Islands |
genre |
Faroe Islands |
genre_facet |
Faroe Islands |
op_source |
The Bridge |
op_relation |
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/thebridge/vol37/iss2/7 https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/context/thebridge/article/1358/viewcontent/02_Peter_Ludwig.pdf |
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