Lecture 1 : Introduction Overview

1. Lecture 1 : IntroductionOverview • THE MODULE IN CONTEXT • Medical v Health Geography • Sub-Branches • Disease categories • Outline History of Disease • Geography • WARNINGS • MODULE STRUCTURE AND READINGS

2. Medical / Health Geography • A distinction is sometimes made between Medical Geography and Health Geography. • Medical Geography is the older term. • The term ‘Health Geography’ was originally used in the 1990s to signify a particular form of social / cultural geography. • Today it is used more or less as a synonym for ‘Medical Geography’.

3. Sub-Branches The main division in Medical / Health Geography is between: • Geographical epidemiology (the geography of health) - i.e. the causes of diseases, and • Health care provision (the geography of health care) - i.e. the provision and uptake of medical services. This course falls within the epidemiology sub-branch.

4. Disease Categories Two main types of disease: • Infectious / transmissible / contagious / communicable / pathogenic. Diseases that can be transmitted from person to person (or between species). Involve a causal agent (e.g. bacteria or virus). • Degenerative / non-infectious / non-transmissible / non-communicable / chronic. Traditionally assumed to be associated with the ageing process (i.e. risks increase as body degenerates with age). This module is about acute infectious diseases.

5. Outline History of Disease • Infectious diseases were the major cause of death throughout history. • Infectious diseases declined as the major cause of death in developed countries mid-C19 to mid-C20. • Non-infectious diseases are now the major cause of death, and life expectancy is much higher. • There is a fear that infectious diseases could make a comeback.

6. Geography The main concerns of Geography may be summarised by the words ‘place’, ‘space’ and ‘environment’. • Environment: How people influence and are influenced by their environment, both physical and human (i.e. cultural, political, social, economic) – e.g. climate change. • Space: How things vary over space, the reasons for these variations, and how spatial variations in one thing influence spatial variations in other things – e.g. GIS. • Place: How the combination of factors found at a place make that place unique. People’s subjective attachment to places. The focus in this module is on environment (social ecology)

7. ‘Health Warnings’ • Medical student syndrome – material is not suited for those with a nervous disposition. • Waffle-free – you will not be able to bluff this module using general knowledge. • Non-discrete – module does not break into self-contained sections.

8. On The Plus Side … • Module assumes no prior knowledge. • Material should be intrinsically interesting. • Subject is of major importance.

9. Course Structure • Biology 101 – Essential background biology. • History of infectious diseases. • The epidemiological transition. • Emerging infectious diseases.

10. Readings • Should consider books marked with asterisks for purchase. • Chapters covering other areas will be put on the web. • The website contains a lot of links and a few other readings and documents.