The past, present and future of public health surveillance: the past (I)

This paper summarizes the past of public health surveillance-the ongoing systematic collection, analysis, interpretation and utilization of health data for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health action. Public health surveillance can be tracked back to the first recorded communicable disease epidemic in 3180 B.C. in Egypt. Hippocrates (460 B.C.-370 B.C.) recorded endemic disease and epidemic disease, John Graunt (1620-1674) introduced systematic data analysis, Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) started field epidemic investigation, William Farr (1807-1883) founded the modern concept of surveillance, John Snow (1813-1858) used the surveillance data in intervention activities, and Alexander Langmuir (1910-1993) developed the first comprehensive definition of surveillance. By now the systematic surveillance theory and a mass of surveillance methods have been developed, and the global surveillance system has been formed. Learning from the past of public health surveillance can improve the understanding of its current development, facilitate public health surveillance and provide theory basis for the promotion of human health.