Gandy Matthew, Zumla Alimuddin
Department of Geography, University College London, UK.
Soc Sci Med. 2002 Aug;55(3):385-96; discussion 397-401. doi: 10.1016/s0277-9536(01)00176-9.
The resurgence of tuberculosis is one of the most serious global public health challenges of the twenty-first century. This paper argues that the decline of tuberculosis since the nineteenth century is far better understood than its resurgence over the last twenty years. It is suggested that insights gained from the historical study of disease may provide a better analytical framework for understanding the contemporary dynamics of disease epidemiology than the current emphasis on the bio-medical and behavioural characteristics of individual patients. It is concluded that tuberculosis research requires a combination of advances in bio-medical knowledge with a broader understanding of the evolving relationship between disease and modern societies.
结核病的再度流行是21世纪最严峻的全球公共卫生挑战之一。本文认为，自19世纪以来结核病的减少比过去20年其再度流行的情况更容易理解。有人提出，从疾病的历史研究中获得的见解可能比当前对个体患者生物医学和行为特征的强调，为理解疾病流行病学的当代动态提供更好的分析框架。得出的结论是，结核病研究需要将生物医学知识的进步与对疾病和现代社会之间不断演变的关系的更广泛理解结合起来。
