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500 BCE
Sanitation in Roman Times
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Period: 500 BCE to 1510 BCE
Water Systems in Roman Times
The Romans developed aquaducts and sewage systems in order to prevent the development of diseases related to the lack of proper sanitation; bring water to their cities improved sanitation, and personal hygiene, which are essential for good health. -
Period: 500 BCE to 1500 BCE
Sanitation in Roman Times
The Romans designed one of the early - and probably one of the first toilets. This shows that they wanted to have better sanitation by having a better control of waste. Waste matter discharged from the body, especially feces and urine. -
Period: 476 BCE to 1453 BCE
Medieval period: The Plague
The medieval period had to deal with the presence of deadly diseases such as the bubonic plague, also called, the 'Black Death,' which is considered the killer of all times. -
Period: 400 BCE to 380
On Air, Waters and Places
Hippocrates published a treatise (book) titled on "Air, Waters, and Situations," that changed the view of disease causation. From the belief that diseases were send by the 'gods' as punishment, animalistic, or, mystical views influencing health and disease to the result of the environmental influences such as the quality of the air, water and places (location) that determine the health of an individual/community. -
1510
Water Systems in Roman Times
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Period: to
Bills of Mortality
John Graunt published the Bills of Mortality, which is considered a pivotal document in the history of public health and epidemiology because for the first time, death/mortality was linked to person, place and, time. Among other findings, he noted that more men died compared to women, who tend to live longer than men. -
The epidemic of smallpox in Europe and then, later in the United States
From the list of plagues that affected the world population in the past, one of the major problems is smallpox. A disease caused by the variola virus. The first smallpox vaccine was created by Dr. Edward Jenner, an English doctor who noted that milkmaids who had gotten cowpox were protected from smallpox, which means that they received immunity from having the disease. Having a vaccine made a tremendous difference in the history of the disease, which basically contributed to its eradication. -
Smallpox in the United States - a terrible experience for Native Americans
During the winter of 1848-49, an outbreak of cholera was reported in New Orleans, Louisiana. A disease that had killed thousands of people in Europe had also affected the U.S. population in the South. Prior to this (1932), there was another short outbreak of cholera in New Orleans (which is the theme of the painting/image included in this section. -
William Farr and the concept of Vital Statistics
William Farr, a British epidemiologist who was appointed compiler of abstracts in England, 1839. His work examined the linkage between mortality rates and population density, it also created the foundation for the concept of vital statistics. Farr's contributions provided foundation for classification of diseases ICD system, or International Classification of Diseases. -
Period: to
Cholera in the United States
During the winter of 1848-49, an outbreak of cholera was reported in New Orleans, Louisiana. A disease that had killed thousands of people in Europe had also affected the U.S. population in the South. Prior to this (1932), there was another short outbreak of cholera in New Orleans (which is the theme of the painting/image included in this section. -
Period: to
Cholera Epidemic in London
Dr. John Snow - already discussed in another section of the chapter. He is considered the father of public health because of his work during the cholera epidemic in London, 1849 in which using a 'natural experiment' approach he identified the cause of the epidemic, water drinking contamination from one of the main water sources in London. Dr. Snow used several research methods that were highly advanced for this time, but also methods that are still valid today. -
Lemuel Shattuck
The beginning of public health in the U.S., this event is the publication of the “Shattuck Report”, written by Dr. Lemuel Shattuck and published in 1850. It reports on the serious health problems experienced by certain groups of people, who were also living in unsanitary conditions in the city of Boston. The report recommended the creation of state health department and local boards of health in each town so public health interventions to address the issues were developed and implemented. -
Dr. Robert Koch
He developed the Koch postulates that include:(1)The microorganism must be found in diseased but not healthy individuals; (2) The microorganism must be cultured from the diseased individual;(3) Inoculation of a healthy individual with the cultured microorganism must recapitulated the disease; and finally(4) The microorganism must be re-isolated from the inoculated, diseased individual and matched to the original microorganism.