Customer Reviews

Epidemiology, 2e

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a well written book that touches upon all basic areas of Epidemiology. A strong point of the book is its use of illustrations, they help keep the material somewhat interesting rather than bland full of text.

It goes through plenty of examples to help you memorize concepts as well as give you practice of each chapter's readings by having review questions for that chapter.

It is a good aid for medical students, epidemiologists as well as anyone involved in the related health services.

When it comes to textbooks, the section I usually use most often is the index so I don't have to plod through pages of material to find the information I need. This is one of the few textbooks I've ever read cover to cover and actually enjoyed. The text is very readable with many examples to demonstrate the concepts discussed. There are also plenty of illustrations and charts to reinforce the information. Also, this isn't just one more book taking up space on my bookshelf -- I still use it as a reference to clarify questions that come up. Epidemiology is a clearly written, methodologically presented introduction to the most important concepts in the field.

The Gordis text is excellent if you are a newcomer to clinical research and want to get your feet on the ground in a hurry. Explanations of basic epidemilogic concepts (prevalence, indcidence, odds and hazard ratios, sensitivities and specificities, basic study designs and limitations) are written in an easy-to-grasp manner, and the exercises at the end of each chapter ensure you are really able to put these concepts into practice. It is a quick and easy read, and will really give you a leg-up when you begin formal coursework.

HOWEVER, if you are looking to learn about hypothesis testing, statistical tests, and how data are typically analyzed and presented at the end of clinical trials, this book will not help you. You will need a dedicated statistics book - for beginners like myself, the Douglas Altman text is a wonderful (albeit rigorous) supplement to this one.

This is the best beginning text on epidemiology available-- no other text comes close. The writing is clear and concise, a rare event in science texts. The style, content and layout are extraordinary. Dr. Gordis creates friendly understandable explanations from potentially confusing topics.

Epidemiology by Leon Gordis is a great textbook. Having read one or two other books on this topic, I thought I got a great deal of what Epidemiology means and how it's done. Things I thought I fully understood I now do understand. The book has got many illustrations that make the text very easy to comprehend. The text itself is built up in a stepwise manner and the important issues are repeated several times. The examples given are enlightening and, sometimes, funny, too. The book isn't that much concerned with analysis methods in detail (e.g., How do regression methods work?), but it rather deals with the principles, designs and methods of epidemiology. This book definetely earns 5 stars and will remain an epedemiologic classic. Read it!

This book was required reading for an introductory course on epidemiology in a Masters of Public Health (MPH) program. It is clearly written, with a minimum of jargon. It includes numerous examples that really help illustrate the material. This is a book that I find myself pulling out again and again, even after the course has ended. Highly recommended.

This book explains epidemiologic concepts clearly, giving good examples and having helpful illustrations. I recommend it highly for beginners as well as for persons familiar with epidemiology who want to review previously learned methods. I have used it to successfully explain concepts to non-epidemiologists.

An excellent broad coverage of epidemiology, by far the best introduction to the field. Very complete and explains concepts with excellent examples.

As a new MPH student, I found this book very easy to read and understand. The topics were presented clearly, and the graphs and charts were helpful. This book was incredibly useful when studying for exams as well. I highly recommend this book!

Within a short time of receiving this book, I found a number of very helpful references that contributed useful information to a doctoral research paper. The book is written well and offers easy access to specific epidemiological issues via the detailed index at the back.