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The idea for
this book had been brewing for some time, but we needed the
stimulus of our 20th anniversary year to bring the project to
fruition. Over the years, we have received numerous requests
from teachers for permission to reprint articles from The
Epidemiology Monitor for their students. Also, we have
received calls from colleagues who remember an article they
would like to use again in their work, but are unable to
pinpoint the date of publication. Finally, we cannot attend an
epidemiology meeting without someone mentioning our humorous
contests and slogans. For all of these reasons, we believe
that it is useful to bring together much of the best material
that has been published in The Epidemiology Monitor over the
years and to make all of it readily accessible in one easy to
use volume.
However, what
really compelled us to gather together this material is the
strong conviction that epidemiologists and other colleagues
have had some great things to say in the pages of the
newsletter, and this material should not be lost. This
conviction also helps to explain our choice of Epidemiology
Wit & Wisdom as the title for the book. It describes
accurately the contents, and conveys that they are highly
valued.
We had no hard
and fast criteria for article selection. Mostly, we picked
articles we believed were of some lasting value, i.e. were
interesting, useful, insightful, humorous or unique. Articles
were selected from several types of material we have published
over the years, including interviews, keynote addresses or
presentations at epidemiology meetings, special articles
providing information epidemiologists could use in their work,
letters, obituaries of well-known figures in epidemiology,
humorous pieces, and of course news articles covering
controversies, policy items, the law, historical pieces, the
media, and the state of the discipline.
When you read
through this volume you will discover or rediscover the many
valuable ideas and insights that have appeared in our pages
over the years. Think of it as your "Window on
Epidemiology---At Work and At Play.î
Roger H.
Bernier, PhD, MPH
Jeanette L. St. Pierre
November 2000
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