[The understanding of epidemic diseases in the Qin and Han Dynasties].

In the Qin and Han Dynasties, three views were argued as the main causes of epidemic diseases, the observation of climate, the interaction between nature and humans and 'witchcraft'. Specifically it was thought that abnormal climate, personnel and government decree, and 'gods' and 'ghosts' were responsible for epidemics. This perception led to corresponding countermeasures to deal with epidemic diseases. The abnormal climate in nature was believed to result in the occurrence of epidemic diseases. This was interpreted by traditional Chinese medicine in terms of exogenous diseases. For instance, Huang Di Nei Jing interpreted leprosy with the point of wind-pathogen attacking. Shang Han Lun treated epidemic diseases with the viewpoint of exogenous pathogen. The classic books of Chinese materia medica recorded many cases of preventing and treating epidemic diseases with materia medica. The personnel and government decree refers to the wrong decrees of Emperors and the poor implementation of officials. This was argued to lead to various disasters including epidemic diseases. It was interpreted by Dong Zhongshu, a famous Confucian in the Han Dynasty, as the punishment of gods upon their misconduct. This reminded emperors about reflecting on the epidemic diseases and correcting their mistakes politically. 'Gods' and 'ghosts' were also believed as the cause of epidemics. This idea drove people to deal with epidemic diseases through sacrifices and exorcism.

Disasters related to droughts and public health - a review of the scientific literature.

In Brazil, the history of droughts has been marked by constant social and health tragedies, with estimates of up to 3 million deaths from the early 19th century until the late 20th century. There is a record of nearly 32,000 events related to the above and more than 96 million people were affected between 1991 and 2010. Although droughts have historically brought disasters to Brazil, which was noted in the scientific expeditions of Arthur Neiva and Belisario Penna that documented these droughts, there have not been many studies on them. The objective of this paper is to present a revision of the scientific articles related to droughts and public health. The following databases were used: PubMed, the Preparation and Response to Disasters Portal from BVS and the Capes Periodical Portal. The descriptors drought and health were used to search titles and summaries of articles in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Among the repercussions related to health that were discovered: malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies, mental health problems, issues relating to water and air quality and commitments made concerning access to health services. As there is a trend for more intense droughts and a scarcity of water until 2030, there is an urgent need for more research and studies in these areas.

Desastres relacionados à seca e saúde coletiva – uma revisão da literatura científica / Disasters related to droughts and public health – a review of the scientific literature

Resumo No Brasil, a história das secas é marcada por seguidas tragédias sociais e sanitárias, com estimativas de 3 milhões de óbitos entre o início do século XIX e o final do século XX e o registro de quase 32 mil eventos e mais de 96 milhões de afetados entre 1991 e 2010. Apesar de no Brasil a seca ser um desastre histórico, não encontramos, desde a expedição científica de Arthur Neiva e Belisário Penna em 1912 nas zonas flageladas pela seca, muitas pesquisas sobre a relação seca e saúde no Brasil. O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar uma revisão dos artigos científicos sobre a relação seca e saúde coletiva. Foram utilizadas as bases de dados PubMed, Portal Preparação e Respostas a Desastres da BVS e Portal de Periódicos da Capes, utilizando-se os descritores drought and health no título e resumo, selecionando-se somente artigos em inglês e espanhol com relação direta com os temas em saúde. Dentre os efeitos sobre a saúde encontrados, destacam-se os relacionados à desnutrição e deficiências nutricionais, saúde mental, qualidade das águas e do ar, além do comprometimento da qualidade e do acesso aos serviços de saúde. Considerando-se as tendências de episódios de seca mais intensos e frequentes e de escassez de água até 2030, torna-se urgente ampliar as pesquisas sobre o tema e revisões da literatura.

Abstract In Brazil, the history of droughts has been marked by constant social and health tragedies, with estimates of up to 3 million deaths from the early 19th century until the late 20th century. There is a record of nearly 32,000 events related to the above and more than 96 million people were affected between 1991 and 2010. Although droughts have historically brought disasters to Brazil, which was noted in the scientific expeditions of Arthur Neiva and Belisario Penna that documented these droughts, there have not been many studies on them. The objective of this paper is to present a revision of the scientific articles related to droughts and public health. The following databases were used: PubMed, the Preparation and Response to Disasters Portal from BVS and the Capes Periodical Portal. The descriptors drought and health were used to search titles and summaries of articles in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Among the repercussions related to health that were discovered: malnutrition and nutritional deficiencies, mental health problems, issues relating to water and air quality and commitments made concerning access to health services. As there is a trend for more intense droughts and a scarcity of water until 2030, there is an urgent need for more research and studies in these areas.