Quantitative Methods in Biological and Medical Sciences

the long version

This wide-ranging volume surveys the immense impact that quantitative methods have had on the development of modern biological and medical science. Professor Lancaster begins with the contribution of the Ancient Greek philosophers and then traces the development of fundamental ideas from there to the present day. He shows how mathematics, principally through counting and measurement, and statistics have profoundly influenced the emergence of key ideas and theories. Since no background knowledge of biological anatomy, physiology or disease is required, this volume is essentially a self-contained account. As befits such a wide-ranging volume, amongst the topics covered are: epidemiology, the classification of disease, microbiology, genetics, clinical trials, death rates and life tables, and evolution. All those interested in these topics will find this an invaluable source of information and a remarkable synthesis of the long history of quantification in the biological (including medical) sciences.