"Background During the early 19th century, contagionists' and anti-contagionists' explanations of disease causes opposed one another, and the Hippocratic miasma theory still predominated. According to that theory, geographic health disparities could be explained by topographical factors: differences in altitude, population density or proximity to a river. This article summarizes the life of Louis-René Villermé (1782-1863) and his major contributions to social epidemiology that proved the association between poverty and mortality. Methods In this study, data reported by Villermé to study the mortality-rate variations across the 12 districts (arrondissements) of Paris -that is, 1817-1826 Parisian death rates by district, population density and income indicators- are presented and reanalyzed. Results Results obtained with today's statistical techniques (correlation analysis) support Villermé's claims of a direct poverty-high death rate link: the three income indicators that he chose were significantly correlated with at-home mortality: taxation index (r=-0.83, p<0.002), average rent (r=-0.83, p<0.002), trade taxation index (r=-0.67, p<0.05), while population density variables were not associated with mortality. Conclusion Villermé was not only a forerunner of social epidemiology, he was also a scientific pioneer by relying on data, not opinions, to challenge or support medical hypotheses."

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