Description
Statistics and the Language of Global Health provides a comprehensive historical analysis of how statistical methods became central to understanding and managing public health in East Asia and worldwide. Yi-Tang Lin traces the emergence of epidemiological expertise through the work of institutions and experts operating across China, Taiwan, and international health organizations between 1917 and 1960.
The book explores how statistical language and quantitative methods were adopted, adapted, and contested by different actors within varying institutional contexts. It reveals how expert communities used statistics to establish credibility, influence policy decisions, and construct narratives about disease, population, and national health. By examining the historical development of these practices, Lin demonstrates that statistics was never merely a neutral tool but rather a political and cultural force that shaped global health governance.
This work contributes significantly to the Global Health Histories series by offering non-Western perspectives on the professionalization of public health and the internationalization of health expertise during the early twentieth century.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.