How mathematical epidemiology became a field of biology: a commentary on Anderson and May (1981) 'The population dynamics of microparasites and their invertebrate hosts'

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
J A P Heesterbeek, M G Roberts

Abstract

We discuss the context, content and importance of the paper 'The population dynamics of microparasites and their invertebrate hosts', by R. M. Anderson and R. M. May, published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society as a stand-alone issue in 1981. We do this from the broader perspective of the study of infectious disease dynamics, rather than the specific perspective of the dynamics of insect pathogens. We argue that their 1981 paper fits seamlessly in the systematic study of infectious disease dynamics that was initiated by the authors in 1978, combining effective use of simple mathematical models, firmly rooted in biology, with observable or empirically measurable ingredients and quantities, and promoting extensive capacity building. This systematic approach, taking ecology and biology rather than applied mathematics as the motivation for advance, proved essential for the maturation of the field, and culminated in their landmark textbook of 1991. This commentary was written to celebrate the 350th anniversary of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society.

References

Aug 2, 1979·Nature·R M Anderson, R M May
Aug 9, 1979·Nature·R M May, R M Anderson
Jul 1, 1975·Kansenshōgaku zasshi. The Journal of the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases·F OsadaS Kobayashi
May 26, 1972·Science·G G FosterR Gill
Oct 1, 1982·Parasitology·R M Anderson, R M May
May 11, 2002·Science·Anje-Margriet NeutelPeter C De Ruiter
Sep 5, 2002·Acta Biotheoretica·J A P Heesterbeek
Jul 18, 2003·Nature·Peter Turchin
Jan 1, 1957·British Journal of Preventive & Social Medicine·A W ANDERSONH J TRENCHARD
May 17, 2006·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·James O Lloyd-SmithAndrea Swei
Nov 7, 1980·Science·R M Anderson, R M May
Jan 1, 1996·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·A A Berryman
Feb 16, 2013·Nature Reviews. Microbiology·Elizabeth A McGraw, Scott L O'Neill
Sep 13, 2013·Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·Samik DattaMatt J Keeling
Oct 12, 2013·Ecology Letters·John BrydenVincent A A Jansen
Nov 14, 2013·The Journal of Applied Ecology·Matthias A BecherVolker Grimm
Jan 7, 2014·Ecology Letters·J Jelle LeverJordi Bascompte
Jan 10, 2014·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Sanja SelakovicHans Heesterbeek

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Citations

Feb 11, 2021·History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences·Marcel Boumans
Apr 24, 2021·Bulletin of Mathematical Biology·David V Kalbaugh

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