| Titre : | Louis-René Villermé (1782-1863), a pioneer in social epidemiology : re-analysis of his data on comparative mortality in Paris in the early 19th century. (2011) |
| Auteurs : | C. JULIA ; VALLERON (A.J.) : FRA. Inserm. U707. Paris. ; Ap-Hp. Hôpital Saint-Antoine. Unité de Santé Publique. Paris. FRA |
| Type de document : | Article |
| Dans : | Journal of epidemiology and community health (vol. 65, n° 8, 2011) |
| Pagination : | 666-670 |
| Langues: | Anglais |
| Mots-clés : | Epidémiologie ; Etude comparée ; Mortalité ; Paris ; Histoire ; Ile de France ; France ; Europe |
| Résumé : | [BDSP. Notice produite par INIST-CNRS qIR0xqpp. Diffusion soumise à autorisation]. Background During the early 19th century, contagionists'and anti-contagionists'explanations of disease causes opposed one another, and the Hippocratic miasma theory still predominated. According to that theory, geographic health disparities could be explained by topographical factors : differences in altitude, population density or proximity to a river. This article summarizes the life of Louis-René Villermé (1782-1863) and his major contributions to social epidemiology that proved the association between poverty and mortality. Methods In this study, data reported by Villermé to study the mortality-rate variations across the 12 districts (arrondissements) of Paris-that is, 1817-1826 Parisian death rates by district, population density and income indicators-are presented and reanalyzed. Results Results obtained with today's statistical techniques (correlation analysis) support Villermé's claims of a direct poverty-high death rate link : the three income indicators that he chose were significantly correlated with at-home mortality : taxation index (r=-0.83, p<0.002), average rent (r=-0.83, p<0.002), trade taxation index (r=-0.67, p<0.05), while population density variables were not associated with mortality. Conclusion Villermé was not only a forerunner of social epidemiology, he was also a scientific pioneer by relying on data, not opinions, to challenge or support medical hypotheses. |
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