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Veterinary Epidemiology, 3rd ed.

Year: 2006
Type: book-review
Abstract: The 3rd edition of Thrusfield’s Veterinary Epidemiology maintains the strengths of previous editions. It continues to have a rich array of tables and figures, and provides relevant examples that should give veterinary students the necessary context to appreciate epidemiological concepts. Additional material has been added to several chapters, and a number of new examples and current references have been included. The reorganization of material into explicit sections such as causality in Chapter 3, and surveillance in Chapter 10, improves the overall text. This edition, however, could also have been improved with the deletion of some dated material, and the reorganization of chapters to follow a more logical thematic sequence. For instance, an excellent section on infectious disease modeling in Chapter 19 is supported by basic material on disease transmission and maintenance in Chapter 6, and almost 200 pages separate a wonderful chapter on causality from an introduction to basic measures of association. Thrusfield often indicates where supporting material may be found in subsequent and preceding chapters, but dividing chapters along thematic lines would have made this textbook more effective pedagogically. Although large portions of text and many figures and tables remain unchanged between the 2nd and 3rd editions, Thrusfield has updated examples and references, and added some new material. There is a new section on participatory epidemiology (Chapter 10) and bootstrap estimation (Chapter 12). Thrusfield has also made effective use of the 2001 foot-and-mouth disease epidemic in the United Kingdom to exemplify a number of concepts. Footnotes provide historical context, identify controversies, and explain the etymology of epidemiological terms. Although not always necessary, these footnotes are often interesting and enhance this edition. Perhaps the greatest oversight in this edition is the presence of dated material. The chapter on data collection and management (Chapter 11) still discusses outdated recording methods, and includes an introduction to computer technology that is no longer necessary for the intended audience. The presentation of hand calculations for a variety of statistical tests is appreciated, but these calculations should be placed in the appendices, and the text should focus on the interpretation of results and statistical assumptions for performing these tests. Readily available statistical software also precludes the need for so many statistical tables in the appendices. Veterinary Epidemiology continues to be a useful introduction to a broad range of topics in epidemiology, and should be considered when developing a reading list for an introductory course in epidemiology. Thrusfield’s textbook effectively introduces students to major areas of epidemiology including diagnostic testing, disease modeling, clinical trials and meta-analysis, observational studies, surveillance, and disease control and eradication. I have found it particularly useful for preparing introductory lectures on infectious disease modeling and descriptive epidemiology.
Language: English
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W120578256
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Cited by: 298
Related to: 10