Pathology Geographic

Topic: Geographical pathology

Content:

Geographic pathology is a branch of medical science that studies the patterns of occurrence of diseases, pathological conditions and processes that are associated with geographic and climatic environmental factors. This section is important for medicine, as it shows the important role of ecology and the environment in the occurrence and spread of diseases. Geographic pathology is an essential part of environmental and physical geography, therefore it has many similarities with these sciences and also specializes in the study of spatial patterns, processes in geographic space, and the causes of diseases. Also, geographical pathology deals with the study and explanation of the peculiarities of the influence of the earth's landscape on various forms of human activity: farming, industry and agriculture. Man is an active converter of natural resources; this circumstance has a certain impact on his living conditions, the causes of diseases and methods of their treatment and prevention. Some researchers define geographic pathology more narrowly - as a branch of knowledge that considers the pathogenic influence of climate. Others mean it as part of clinical geography. This branch of medicine studies issues related to the possibility of diagnosing individual diseases based on diseases of specific settlements, cities and regions, analyzes their distribution, and examines factors that may influence the occurrence of these diseases. On the territory of Russia, this science was developed by E.A. Migunova, S.A. Mozhaev, D.K. Zyryanov, L.M. Oshanina, A.V. Zorin, G.I. Medvedev, E.G. Orlova and others.

Climate plays a big role in the origin of diseases. The influence of natural climatic zones on human health is determined by the physical and geographical features of the area and the biological influence of climate on the body. For example, tropical zones are characterized by high humidity and significant changes in air temperature throughout the day and seasons. In the “high-mountain” regions, climatic conditions are characterized by very low average temperatures and the constant dominance of high-mountain, high-pressure air, which is rich in oxygen. People greatly influence the population of regions, causing significant natural, technological, and anthropogenic changes in landscapes. Landscape ecology makes it possible to develop measures to organize the optimal geocomplex of the environment, which is a vital part of the fight against diseases. Medicine, as mentioned above, is closely related to many other sciences, for example, microbiology and infectious diagnostics, anatomy, and physiology. The study of pathology is widely used in medicine. For a very long time it has been using general patterns, but only when it gives a significant effect.

Geographical pathology is a section of P. (from ancient Greek παθολογία “suffering, disease, the science of deviations from the norm”), studying the patterns of the appearance of diseases, the occurrence of pathological processes/conditions caused by geographical conditions (climate, relief, air environment, hydrography , flora and fauna, etc.). The patterns of their development are studied in the geography of diseases (nosogeography), the geography of individual nosological forms (allergic-endemic geography, syphilidology, leishmaniasis, xerophobia, etc.), physical geography and medical climatology.

This direction of pathological physiology began to develop in the 20s of the 20th century thanks to the introduction of the concepts of nosogeography and climatotherapy. An important role was played by a comprehensive study of diseases and an expeditionary approach to their identification in the regions of Russia. A significant contribution to the development of geographic pathology was made by scientists M. A. Zenkevich, N. V. Timofeev-Resovsky, G. D. Lukomnikov, who, along with the achievements of nosogeographic research, noted a number of complex methodological problems.

The geographical development of pathology is associated with the work of scientists:

1. N.B. Future - the direction of his activity is focused on the search for patterns in the spread and evolution of infectious diseases and the development of issues of the geography of parasitic invasions. 2. A.F. Akulova - conducted large expeditions to study vector-borne diseases in different geographical zones of the USSR. The scientist showed that the resistance of different species and groups of parasites to various types of environmental influences is due to the characteristics of their individual development and fertility, the characteristics of the migratory stages of their life and the influence of environmental factors. 3. V. M. Khoruzhaya - a generalization of materials on the geography of parasitosis was carried out, and the features of the distribution of eggs of some epidemically significant mosquitoes were studied. 4. N.K. Christopher - the dependence of the mechanisms of development of tropical malaria on tropospheric circulation was proven.