Quantitative Methods in Biological and Medical Sciences: A Historical Essay. by Lancaster, H. O - 1994

New York: Springer-Verlag, 1994. Hardback octavo, dustjacket, very good plus condition (in very good plus dustjacket), spine jacket faintly faded, minimal edgewear. 297 pp. By H.O. Lancaster, professor of mathematical statistics, University of Sydney, Australia. This wide-ranging volume surveys the immense impact that quantitative methods have had on the development of modern biological and medical science. 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.