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Book review: The Strategy of Preventive Medicine by Professor Geoffrey Rose

It’s World Epidemiology Day today, and I spent it with a book called The Strategy of Preventive Medicine, a gift from a mentor who’s always been kind to me. It’s exactly the kind of book I’m always looking for: a health classic written in plain language.

Professor Rose covers a few key themes. First, medicine has traditionally focused on the “sick population,” and he makes the case for preventive medicine (he wrote this in 1992, so read it in that context).

Second, he argues that how people think is shaped by the social and economic conditions they live in, and that understanding those conditions is key to finding solutions.

Third is what’s often called Rose’s paradox: “A preventive measure that benefits the population provides little to each participating individual.” He walks through the history of public health with it: vaccination, seat belts (or helmets, where motorbikes are more common), and today’s efforts to change all sorts of lifestyle habits.

I was surprised by how far ahead of his time Professor Rose was, over 30 years ago. He saw exactly what we’re focusing on now: prevention, the determinants of health, lifestyle habits and so on. I’ll definitely read it again, probably more than once!

If you’re interested, Bill Gates’ show What’s Next is coming to Netflix on September 18. It looks at big problems we’re facing right now and need to solve (climate change, AI, data privacy and more). I’m a huge fan, though I’m too small a voice to weigh in on it.

PS: After the typhoon last night, it looks like all my friends and family in Vietnam are safe 🙏🏻 Nature seems to be changing so fast that I can feel the difference from one year to the next.

And if you know any similar books, please send me your recommendations!