What's an epidemiologist? [Matthew's Journal]

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A discussion with the dentist yesterday leads me to wonder how many people know what an epidemiologist is. If you could fill in the following poll, that'd be grand (and please don't look it up just so you can tick "yes" below :). If you're not sure if your understanding is correct, then Wikipedia will help. I apologise for the dreadful typos in the poll; sadly I can't edit them now.

[Poll #1445916]

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There are 51 comments on this entry. (Reply.)

I think when I first encountered the word (many years ago) I guessed that it might be something to do with skin. It eventually became clear from context that that wasn't it, so I looked it up and realised it was about epidemics, not epidermis.

Yup, I made the epidermis/epidemic mistake as well.

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libellum.livejournal.com

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When I started to answer the poll, I knew what it was, but hoped for a "did that have something to do with skin" option as the most obvious misleading answer. However, I'm not sure I'd have made the connection to skin 15 years ago :)

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[x] ...but I can't spell it.

I'm amused Doctorate or equivalent is currently the most common education level! I clicked that and Masters as I'm in between as I haven't finished the bloody corrections yet.

I haven't finished the bloody corrections yet.

Some of us never do...

Edited Date: 2009-08-19 04:41 pm (UTC)

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I've studied a PG Cert AT master's level, so I'm also an inbetweeny.

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I wasn't sure whether to look at Wikipedia before or after answering, especially given the "I think so" option. So I picked "I think so", then checked Wikipedia to see if it agreed with my understanding (which it did), then went back and picked "Yes" as well as "I think so".

Also, I assume maths is "other sciences"?

Maths is not a science, damnit!

I ticked 'other'.

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I'm not entirely sure whether I ticked the right box in the last question.

I suspect I'd have know what it meant without interacting with you, at least. Probably from maths courses covering dynamics of differential equations.

I've put 'maths' under 'other' as I'm not convinced that I can argue the case for it being a science.

Edited Date: 2009-08-19 04:45 pm (UTC)

I think I found out what it was through reading lots of James Herriot books and their pre-war focus on milk and TB - in between the tales of farting small-yapper-type dogs.

I can't remember where I found out (I said "I think so", and then checked, and was basically right although would not have been able to write that definition myself), but it was some while ago (and could have been from the JH books, although more likely, it was initially from television (e.g. the old variety of Horizon) and things my Dad said in relation to his own studies/knowledge. Obviously things you have said, emperor, have helped fix/extend that knowledge in my poor little brain.

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I had a similar conversation many years ago when I was in hospital, when I met an occupational therapist. She said I was the first patient she'd had who knew what one was without meeting one before. After quizzing my friends, they all seemed to agree with me that it was straightforward to know/work out what one was, so that must say something about the knowledgeability of my social circle vs the average patient on that particular ward :-(

It was in my AS-Level biology syllabus, under 'Health and Disease'. Also, I love that Hippocrates is considered the Uncle of Epidemiology, one day I would like to be the Aunt of something obscure and educational.

We did a course on it in Part II Plant Sciences (didn't particularly enjoy it, but I understood most of it). And, of course, the bits of QB course that you've sat in on. Hehe.

I'm never sure what to do with myself when it comes to ticking qualifications boxes, having done most of a PhD but not having any concrete proof of this, and having skipped the whole Masters stage...

Study = Other: Electronic Engineering

Study = Other: Finance
Also, I ticked all the education what I have done rather than just the highest level.

I do actually know both the word and the discipline, but had a temporary brainwave and confused it with epistemologist. So at the moment of answering your poll, I was wrong, but in my general life, I would be right.

Mostly people seem to confuse it with dermatologist (as indeed several people commenting did); you're the first to say epistemologist :)

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lnr

I predicted that when I came to the comments page, there would be an argument going on about how best to categorise maths. I was not disappointed.

I'm afraid I know mostly because Chris now works for one!

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I was reminded that you had talked about studying it by the question, but I previously knew of the area of study. I wouldn't have pulled that word out of thin air to describe it, though.

Also, put maths as 'other sciences'.

I've had a good-ish idea for a long time, but I can't remember when I found out. It might be when I was studying actuarial science.

I certainly hope I know, since I am one, or at least so my job title tells me.

:-)

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I don't really understand the widespread "skin?" confusion - isn't "epidemic" a more commonly-known word than "epidermis" anyway?

Seconded. Though I suppose epidemiology and epidermis might be seen as technical vocabulary (hence the possibility of a link), while epidemic has spread into common usage?? That's probably a pretty lame attempt to account for it!

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I ticked doctorate seeing as I've nearly finished, though am always inclined when answering questions like that to answer with the highest degree held, as if it were about what gown I'm entitled to wear :)

P.S. It would never have occurred to me that it had anything to do with skin, because skin words are formed on a Greek 'derm' root with a definite R in it :)

I was thinking that the r is the giveaway there.

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I'd be interested how many people thought it was just about infectious epidemics, and didn't realise that observing that smokers have higher rates of lung cancer, for example, is also epidemiology.

I would fall into this category - I thought of it as something like "the study of how diseases spread through a population" so not just epidemics per se but certainly to do with infections.

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February