Epidemiology involves the study of the occurrence of diseases in global populations, providing a body of knowledge which informs daily clinical evaluations. This book covers all the material considered to be essential for the teaching of epidemiology to medical and dental undergraduates, providing a sound introduction for the early undergraduate years, and also for studying pure epidemiology and related subjects. The underlying thrust of the book is to summarise the natural history of the major disease groups, to highlight the opportunities for prevention of disease, and to flag up issues of epidemiological and public health importance. The book captures the considerable momentum in current epidemiology and preventative health endeavours, enlivening their relevance for every student of medicine. Clinical case scenarios with questions are included at the end of respective chapters encouraging students to link theory with practice. Studying epidemiology often involves epidemiological assignments in which students are required to conduct original web-based searches of referenced material, the references provided on the Online Resource Centre form a springboard to this activity.Online Resource Centre The Online Resource Centre hosts the full list of references cited in the book. Many of these are provided as active web links, often directing to an abstract of an original journal article, where available electronically. Subject to individual or institutional subscriptions, readers may then be able to click straight through to the full article. Compiled in this way, the references and active web links provide a gateway to a core collection of landmark epidemiological literature and sources, to guide onward reading and provide a starting point for literature searches and project work.