Week 2 ~ History of People and Their Discoveries

In my last epidemiology class we discussed the basic principles of epidemiology and learned about a few very important epidemiologists throughout history. These people included John Snow, Myron Wegman, and George Comstock. Disease origins, causes, preventions, and treatments have been discovered because of these and many other epidemiologists. It was interesting learning about these people and how they contributed their time, effort, and brains in order to break past the unknown and make important discoveries, which in turn ended up positively affecting the public health. After learning about some of the greatest people of epidemiology, I thought I would share what I have learned outside of class about some other epidemiologists and their work. 

James Lind was a surgeon in the English navy, and in 1747 he noticed that many sailors were suffering from scurvy (a condition that causes swollen and bleeding gums, loss of teeth, spots on the skin, and exhaustion). Dr. Lind was determined to find a cure for scurvy, so while he was at sea he decided to perform a simple experiment among some of the sick sailors. He divided twelve of the men into six groups, changing the diets of each group: "For example, one drank a quart of apple juice a day, while another received two spoonfuls of vinegar three times a day" (Asher, p. 14-15). By performing this experiment, Lind discovered that the men who ate two oranges and one lemon a day recovered right away. From then on, the British navy made sure to supply citrus fruits to all the sailors for their voyages.

Another important discovery was made by Dr. Joseph Goldberger, a physician in the U.S. government's hygienic laboratory, in the early 1900s. Pellagra (a disease caused by a lack of vitamin B) was killing many poor southerners around this time. At this point no one knew the cause of pellagra, but most doctors thought it originated from some type of bacteria or virus. Dr. Goldberger performed a series of research experiments, and the results of his tests showed that it was nutrients missing from people's diets rather than germs that caused the condition. He wanted to prove that his results were definitely correct, so on April 26, 1916, Dr. Goldberger injected the blood of a pellagra sufferer into his assistant's arm and his assistant did the same to him. They even wiped their noses with tissues already used by people with the disease. Both Dr. Goldberger and his assistant remained healthy, which seemed to prove their argument about the disease.

These discoveries are just two of many that have been made by epidemiologists throughout history. If these types of people didn't exist it would be hard to imagine what the world would be like today, but it would definitely be very different. In class we learned that epidemiology is the core science of public health, and I definitely agree with that. It contributes so much and impacts public health in such a big way.


References 
1. Asher, D. (2003). Epidemiologists: Life tracking deadly diseases. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
2. Photo (top): http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_Zeno_Diemer_-_Ship_at_Sea.jpg
3. Photo (bottom): https://www.healthtap.com/user_questions/209132-what-are-health-benefits-of-getting-a-vitamin-b-shot