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Epidemiologic methods
BOOK REVIEWS
773
Epidemiologic Methods by BRIAN MACMAHON, THOMAS of the discussion but it does not appear to have received explicit mention anywhere. F. PUGH and JOHANNESIPSEN. Little & Brown. Boston. It is perhaps irrelevant and certainly detracts little from Mass. and J. and A. Churchill, London, 1960. 302 pp. the value of the book to note that the authors implicitly Price not indicated. accept the definition of an epidemic as a disease level “clearly in excess of normal expectation”. The leveliing To MANY people the terms “quantitative methods” off of a disease rate at a high level following an abrupt and “statistics” are essentially synonymous. In fact, the upturn could easily establish a new but unacceptable talents required by each of these fields are quite Possibly a sociological definition “normal expectation”. distinct even though not mutually exclusive. Statistics would hold, for example, “a disease rate that arouses focuses on logically correct inference whereas methods alarm in a community or society”. If more objective are oriented to substantively correct inference and the criteria are needed one might possibly be developed in identity of these may by no means be assumed. This terms of phases, the first of which starts with the onset of writer would for instance defend the proposition that for an increasing rate of increase (positive acceleration) enters most social science data, committing a so called Type II an arresting phase where the slope starts to decrease and statistical error (accepting a null hypothesis when it is a declining phase in which the slope is negative. in fact false) frequently leads to a valid substantive These points of contention are obviously of minor conclusion (even though in a purely statistical sense it is consequence. Perhaps the most important thing to be an error) since the precision of the data does not justify said for a social science readership is that the scope of the precision of the null hypothesis. Without entering into application of the methodological principles so skillfully this general controversy, MacMahon, Pugh, and Ipsen’s presented far transcends the boundaries of epidemiology Epidemiologic Aliethods convincingly demonstrates that and could be read with profit by say sociologists and: methodological discussion can proceed on a very sophistidemographers to cite only two categories. cated level with little reference to fundamental statistical concepts, even though one may well take issue with the statement in the Preface to the effect that for a reader ALBERTPIERCE, Ph.D. wishing to equip himself for epidemiological research it California Stale Universit_v, would suffice to “sentence himself to a term with a book Northridge, California. of elementary statistics”. The presentation of the material is of a uniformly high quality throughout and the lucid style is surprisingly A Life Apart. A pilot study of residential institutions for the consistent for a triply authored work. Especially notephysically handicapped and the young chronic sick by worthy is their presentation of the complexities of causal E. J. MILLER and G. V. GWYNNE. analysis in such a brief scope and with so little demand on the reader’s prior exposure to the subject. THIS BOOK is a study of five residential institutions for the The book ranges through such basic topics as disease physically handicapped and the younger chronic sick, a classification problems, measurements of disease fresection of society which receives somewhat less than its quency, sources of data, controlling for demographic varifair share.of attention. The smallness of the sample does ables such as age, sex, ethnic group, religion, occupation, not detract from the value of this little book as the instisocio-economic status, marital status, etc., concepts of tutions are used to illustrate the authors’ ideas rather than and units of time, birth order and parental age, and the as evidence that the ideas are correct. It is suggested that respective uses and limitations of various research admission to residential care means that the physically strategies (cohort, case history and experimental methods). handicapped person has been written off as incapable of They make only the most sparing reference to the dichotooccupying any role of value to society and is tantamount mous classification of research strategies into “retroto his social death. The task of catering for the period spective” and “prospective” possibly because these between social death and physical death makes this type entail conceptual difficulties. of residential institution differ fundamentally from most As in their discussion of causality, they deal with the other enterprises with a human throughput, in that their comparably difficult problems of Time in a remarkably model outputs are dead residents. This feature gives rise clear manner. And this reader can only say “Amen” to to most of their problems and in particular lead to diffitheir reservations as to the value of synthetic status scales. culty in agreement in relation to their primary task. They state that “it is not surprising that associations with Two types of residence are identified, the “ware‘socio-economic status’ may differ according to which housing” mode1 in which the primary task becomes the measureis used. It would seem more objective to describe prolongation of physical life, and the “horticultural” such associations as associations with the particular model whose main object is the development of the resivariable used (e.g. income), rather than as associations dents’ residual abilities. The authors discuss the failings with the general concept of which the selected variable of both models and their effects on admission criteria and is only a part.” on the internal human relationships in the home. In their In terms of improving the book for future editions a conclusion the authors suggest possibilities for improvesomewhat greater use of the concept of independent and ment in this branch of care but point out the difficulties control variable categories as “risk factors” might be inherent in existing administrative and professional introduced to good advantage. There were, it might also boundaries. be added, a number of places where the concept of Anyone concerned with the provision of residential “competing risks” would have greatly enhanced the value care for the physically disabled is recommended to read
773
Epidemiologic Methods by BRIAN MACMAHON, THOMAS of the discussion but it does not appear to have received explicit mention anywhere. F. PUGH and JOHANNESIPSEN. Little & Brown. Boston. It is perhaps irrelevant and certainly detracts little from Mass. and J. and A. Churchill, London, 1960. 302 pp. the value of the book to note that the authors implicitly Price not indicated. accept the definition of an epidemic as a disease level “clearly in excess of normal expectation”. The leveliing To MANY people the terms “quantitative methods” off of a disease rate at a high level following an abrupt and “statistics” are essentially synonymous. In fact, the upturn could easily establish a new but unacceptable talents required by each of these fields are quite Possibly a sociological definition “normal expectation”. distinct even though not mutually exclusive. Statistics would hold, for example, “a disease rate that arouses focuses on logically correct inference whereas methods alarm in a community or society”. If more objective are oriented to substantively correct inference and the criteria are needed one might possibly be developed in identity of these may by no means be assumed. This terms of phases, the first of which starts with the onset of writer would for instance defend the proposition that for an increasing rate of increase (positive acceleration) enters most social science data, committing a so called Type II an arresting phase where the slope starts to decrease and statistical error (accepting a null hypothesis when it is a declining phase in which the slope is negative. in fact false) frequently leads to a valid substantive These points of contention are obviously of minor conclusion (even though in a purely statistical sense it is consequence. Perhaps the most important thing to be an error) since the precision of the data does not justify said for a social science readership is that the scope of the precision of the null hypothesis. Without entering into application of the methodological principles so skillfully this general controversy, MacMahon, Pugh, and Ipsen’s presented far transcends the boundaries of epidemiology Epidemiologic Aliethods convincingly demonstrates that and could be read with profit by say sociologists and: methodological discussion can proceed on a very sophistidemographers to cite only two categories. cated level with little reference to fundamental statistical concepts, even though one may well take issue with the statement in the Preface to the effect that for a reader ALBERTPIERCE, Ph.D. wishing to equip himself for epidemiological research it California Stale Universit_v, would suffice to “sentence himself to a term with a book Northridge, California. of elementary statistics”. The presentation of the material is of a uniformly high quality throughout and the lucid style is surprisingly A Life Apart. A pilot study of residential institutions for the consistent for a triply authored work. Especially notephysically handicapped and the young chronic sick by worthy is their presentation of the complexities of causal E. J. MILLER and G. V. GWYNNE. analysis in such a brief scope and with so little demand on the reader’s prior exposure to the subject. THIS BOOK is a study of five residential institutions for the The book ranges through such basic topics as disease physically handicapped and the younger chronic sick, a classification problems, measurements of disease fresection of society which receives somewhat less than its quency, sources of data, controlling for demographic varifair share.of attention. The smallness of the sample does ables such as age, sex, ethnic group, religion, occupation, not detract from the value of this little book as the instisocio-economic status, marital status, etc., concepts of tutions are used to illustrate the authors’ ideas rather than and units of time, birth order and parental age, and the as evidence that the ideas are correct. It is suggested that respective uses and limitations of various research admission to residential care means that the physically strategies (cohort, case history and experimental methods). handicapped person has been written off as incapable of They make only the most sparing reference to the dichotooccupying any role of value to society and is tantamount mous classification of research strategies into “retroto his social death. The task of catering for the period spective” and “prospective” possibly because these between social death and physical death makes this type entail conceptual difficulties. of residential institution differ fundamentally from most As in their discussion of causality, they deal with the other enterprises with a human throughput, in that their comparably difficult problems of Time in a remarkably model outputs are dead residents. This feature gives rise clear manner. And this reader can only say “Amen” to to most of their problems and in particular lead to diffitheir reservations as to the value of synthetic status scales. culty in agreement in relation to their primary task. They state that “it is not surprising that associations with Two types of residence are identified, the “ware‘socio-economic status’ may differ according to which housing” mode1 in which the primary task becomes the measureis used. It would seem more objective to describe prolongation of physical life, and the “horticultural” such associations as associations with the particular model whose main object is the development of the resivariable used (e.g. income), rather than as associations dents’ residual abilities. The authors discuss the failings with the general concept of which the selected variable of both models and their effects on admission criteria and is only a part.” on the internal human relationships in the home. In their In terms of improving the book for future editions a conclusion the authors suggest possibilities for improvesomewhat greater use of the concept of independent and ment in this branch of care but point out the difficulties control variable categories as “risk factors” might be inherent in existing administrative and professional introduced to good advantage. There were, it might also boundaries. be added, a number of places where the concept of Anyone concerned with the provision of residential “competing risks” would have greatly enhanced the value care for the physically disabled is recommended to read