The Lancet, Volume 379, Issue 9833, Pages 2239 - 2240, 16 June 2012
By Saroj Jayasinghe
Here is a portion of the correspondence.
Inappropriate attention to basic sciences could also unduly delay implementation of such simple interventions, resulting in unnecessary death and suffering. The conceit is not that “epidemiology is the basic science of clinical medicine”. The real conceit is to believe that health issues are mainly solved by basic scientists and health professionals. The truth, although unpalatable to some, is that health-related problems are mostly the result of the social and physical environment during our life course.....
The entire letter is here.