A citation survey of the impact of Chinese medical ideas on Western medical literature is presented. In general it is argued that the diffusion of ideas was very rapid at the beginning of the decade, but has markedly slowed recently. Speculations on this 'loss of interest' are offered.

The literature addressing the relationships between biological and social factors in the etiology of multiple chronic diseases occuring simultaneously is presented. The rationale for studying such multiple outcomes is presented in terms of providing a realistic appraisal of the development of...

Our intention in this introductory article is to emphasize what we consider to be certain critical points in the current state of research into the social epidemiology of chronic disease. As wil be outlined, these critical points need to be considered in future research. To begin with we provide...