I.    An Introduction to Epidemiology               15%                                                            

      A.   The History of Determining the Transmission of Disease
            1.   Hippocrates
            2.   The development of the germ theory of disease transmission
                  a)    Girolamo Fracastoro
                  b)    Antony van Leeuwenhoek*
                  c)    Agostino Bassi de Lodi
                  d)    Ignaz Semmelweis
                  e)    John Snow*
                  f)    Joseph Lister*
                  g)    Robert Koch
                  h)   Louis Pasteur*

      B.   The Scientific Method
            1.   The realm of science
            2.   The generation and testing of hypotheses

      C.   Measuring the Occurrence of Disease
            1.   Descriptive studies
            2.   Analytical studies

II.   The Natural History of Disease and the Transmission of Disease     15%     

      A.   Classifying Infectious Diseases
            1.   Diagnostic aids
            2.   Communicable (contagious) vs. non-communicable (not contagious)
            3.   Severity and Duration
            4.   Stages

      B.   Factors Affecting Disease Development
            1.   Role of the host
            2.   Role of the agent
            3.   Role of environmental factors

III.  The Infectious Disease Process and Agents of Disease               20%     

      A.   Modes of Transmission*  

      B.   Portals of Entry/Exit* 

      C.   Reservoirs of Infectious Agents*

      D.   Infectious Agents
            1.   Components of a cell*
            2.   Viruses
            3.   Bacteria
            4.   Parasites
            5.   Prions

 IV.  Disease Prevention and the Treatment of Disease               25%

      A.   Screening and Detection
            1.   Observational
            2.   Technological

      B.   General Preventative Measures
            1.   Isolation and quarantine*
            2.   Vector control
            3.   Universal precautions, proper hygiene, and sanitation

      C.   Host Immunity
            1.   Innate immunity
            2.   Acquired immunity

      D.   Vaccinations and "Herd Immunity"
            1.   Passive immunization and anti-toxins
            2.   Active immunization
            3.   Immune populations

      E.   The Treatment of Disease
            1.   Antimicrobials
            2.   Supportive therapy 

V.   Case Study: Disease and the Civil War               25%

      A.   Food- and Water-Borne Intestinal Disorders
            1.   Typhoid fever*
            2.   Diarrhea and dysentery

      B.   Insect Vector-Borne Diseases
            1.   Typhus*
            2.   Bubonic plague*
            3.   Yellow fever
            4.   Malaria*

      C.   Lung Infections
            1.   Pneumonia
            2.   Whooping cough
            3.   Tuberculosis*

      D.   Deep Wound Infections
            1. Tetanus*
            2. Gangrene*

      E.   Surgical Complications
            1.   Staphylococcal infections
            2.   Streptococcal infections
            3.   Septicemia

      F.   Other Common Diseases
            1.   Measles
            2.   Diphtheria*
            3.   Smallpox* 

*Asterisks indicate topics that students will need to research independently. Information on these research topics can be found in science textbooks, encyclopedias, and on the Internet.