Ecology of Health: Philosophical Part

Ecology is a key word in present- day health philosophy. It comes from the Greek “Oikos” meaning a house. Ecology is defined as the science of mutual relationship between living organism and their environments. Human ecology is a subset of more general science of ecology. A full understanding of health requires that humanity be seen as part of an ecosystem. The human ecosystem includes in addition to the natural environment, all the dimensions of the man-made environment that – physical, chemical, biological, psychological; in short, our culture and all its product. Disease is embedded in the ecosystem of man. Health, according to ecological concept, is visualized as a state of dynamic equilibrium between man and his environment.

By constantly altering his environment or ecosystem by such activities as urbanization, industrialization, deforestation, land reclamation, construction of irrigation canals and dams, man has created for himself new health problems. For example the greatest threat to human health in India today is the ever increasing, unplanned urbanization, growth of slums and deterioration of environment. As a result, disease at one time thought to be primarily “ rural” ( e.g. Filariasis, Laprosy) have acquired serious urban dimensions. The agents of a number of disease, for example; malaria and kala-azzar, which were effectively controlled have shown a recrudescence. The reason for this must be sought in changes in the human ecology. Man’s intrusion into ecological cycles of disease has resulted in zoonotic diseases such as; Kyasanur forest disease, Rabies, yellow fever, Monkey Pox, Lassa fever , etc. The Bhopal gas tragedy in 1984 high lights the danger of locating industries in urban Area of India. The nuclear disaster in Soviet Russia in april 1986 ad is another green reminder of enviroenmental pollution. The construction of Dams,Irrigation, Systems and artificial lakes has created ecological niches favoring the breeding of mosquitos, snells and spread of Filariasis, Schistosomiasis and Japanese encephalitis. In fact, ecological factors are at the route of the geographic distribution of diseases. Therefore; it has been said that good public health is basically good ecology.

Some have equated ecology with epidemiology. The main distinction between epidemiology and ecology is that while epidemiology is the study of the relationship between variations in man’s environment and his state of health or (Diseases), ecology embraces the interrelationship of all living things. In this regard, epidemiology constitutes a special application of human ecology or that part of ecology relating to the state of human health.

It is now being increasingly recognized that environmental factors and ecological considerations must be built into the total planning process to prevent degradation of eco system. Prevention of diseases through ecological or environmental manipulations or interventions is much safer, cheaper and more effective rational approach then all the other means of control. It is through environmental manipulations that diseases such as cholera, typhoid, malaria and hookworm diseases could ne brought under control or eliminated. Greatest improvement in human health thus may be expected from an understanding and modification of the factors that favor disease occurrence in the human ecosystem. Professor Rene Dubos believes that man’s capacity to adopt himself to ecological changes is not unlimited. Man can adopt himself only in so far as the mechanism of adaptation are potentially present in his genetic code.

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