In examining the issue of causality whithin epidemiology, the text begins with a brief historical overview that reclaims the different meanings which the West's main philosophers have lent to this concept. It next delves into the historical roots of epidemiology as a scientific discipline and the transformations the concept of cause has undergone to within this realm. With these presuppositions in place, the text goes on to analyse the 20th century development of epidemiology and the crisis ít currently faces in terms of paradigm. Three alternatives are explored as ways out of this crisis: social epidemiology, Popperian criticism and the contributions of molecular biology. Lastly, the tent discusses the need for a new epidemiological theory grounded on the theory of complexity.
history of epidemiology; cause; causality in epidemiology