Sommelweis, before the microbial discovery and modern epidemiology, conducted an initial descriptive study that addressed the mortality rates in hi...

Sommelweis, before the microbial discovery and modern epidemiology, conducted an initial descriptive study that addressed the mortality rates in his study population and, with the results, raised hypotheses about the most vulnerable groups to puerperal fever and its determinants. Later, he conducted an intervention study to prove his hypothesis, summarizing very well the function of epidemiology as a tool for collective and individual actions. To understand epidemiological thinking, that is, how epidemiology works and contributes essentially to the practice of Public Health, it is necessary to discuss its conceptualization and how its evolution and gradual contextualization occurred in the scenario of Public Health. What is the definition of Epidemiology?


A. Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and factors that determine events or injuries that affect the health of specific populations and the application of this study in controlling health-related problems.
B. Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and factors that determine events or injuries that affect the health of specific individuals and the application of this study in controlling health-related problems.
C. Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and factors that determine events or injuries that affect the health of specific populations and the application of this study in controlling individual health-related problems.