International Journal of Epidemiology 2001;30:940-942
© International Epidemiological Association 2001
Reiterations |
Commentary: A history of the South-East London Screening Study
The London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK.
To be asked to write a commentary on one's own publication1 after 25 years is flattering. In my attempt to respond to the Editor's invitation I thought that it might be of interest to consider the background to the study and the steps required to establish it.
The concept of screening and the criteria by which it is assessed are now well established. It is, however, worth recalling the ‘spirit of optimism’ that prevailed in the early 1960s. The concept of early diagnosis was tempting and the idea of a number of tests being performed at one visit, rather like an MOT, even more so. The initiatives to develop this form of medicine was, of course, led by workers in the US, but rapidly permeated here.
An early example, in the UK, was the introduction of multiphasic screening in Rotherham. The Medical Officer of Health there was Dr Paddy Donaldson
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