Modern view of the evolution of the concept of "epidemiology". Analytical overview

The article analyzes the evolution of views on the concept of epidemiology in various phrases, provides a critical rationale and assessment of individual groups of definitions of epidemiology, presents a substantiated description of new scientific directions in epidemiology. Additions and changes to the existing structure of epidemiology have been developed and proposed, taking into account modern scientific data on infectious and somatic pathology. The formation of new directions in epidemiology has significantly enriched it not only in scientific but also in applied terms. The section epidemiology of infectious diseases forms the fundamentality of the science of epidemiology, which is constantly developing, which cannot be said about non-infectious epidemiology. Taking into account current trends, the author proposes his own vision of the modern structure of epidemiology as a science. The epidemiology of noncommunicable diseases is still at a lower stage of development than the epidemiology of infectious diseases. It lacks a full-fledged theoretical basis, both in general and in individual sections. There is no epidemiological terminology generally accepted in world medical science.