The Evolution of Conceptual Approaches to the Subject of Medical Geography

Maciej Janczak

Abstract


The article aims to trace the evolution of medical geography, from its ancient foundations to the contemporary domain of health geography. The study constitutes a comprehensive review of scholarly literature and classical texts in medicine, geography and epidemiology, aiming to reconstruct the principal stages in the development of the discipline. Particular emphasis is placed on paradigm shifts in the conceptualisation of the relationship between geographic space and health – beginning with Hippocratic humoral theory, through the emergence of disease cartography in the 19th century, to the incorporation of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Big Data analytics in the 21st century. Special attention is devoted to methodological transformations and the progressive broadening of the research agenda – from infectious diseases to considerations of well-being, health inequalities and mental health. The article highlights the significance of interdisciplinary approaches and the growing relevance of medical geography and health geography in the context of contemporary global challenges.


Keywords


medical geography; health geography; history of medical geography; evolution of medical geography

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17951/b.2025.80.0.21-42
Date of publication: 2025-05-29 00:00:00
Date of submission: 2025-04-15 16:19:39


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