Charles V. Chapin

Charles Value Chapin
Chapin in 1885
Born(1856-01-17)January 17, 1856
Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
DiedJanuary 31, 1941(1941-01-31) (aged 85)
Providence, Rhode Island
Burial placeSwan Point Cemetery
EducationBrown University,
Bellevue Medical College
Occupation(s)Superintendent of Health for Providence, Rhode Island
Years active1884-1932
Known forAmerican pioneer in public health research and practice
Medical career
FieldPublic health
Notable works
  • Municipal Sanitation in the United States (1900)
  • The Sources and Modes of Infection (1910)
  • A Report on State Public Health Work Based on a Survey of State Boards of Health (1915)
Awards

Charles Value Chapin (January 17, 1856 – January 31, 1941) was an American pioneer in public health research and practice during the Progressive Era. He was superintendent of health for Providence, Rhode Island between 1884 and 1932. He established one of the earliest municipal public health laboratories in 1888, and the Providence City Hospital for contagious diseases in 1910. Chapin taught at Brown University and Harvard. In 1927 he served as president of the American Public Health Association and as the first president of the American Epidemiological Society.

His main fields of operation were working in the bacteriological laboratory, organizing public health measures, and publicizing urgent public health needs. He was an active proponent of the germ theory of disease, studying infectious diseases and their implications for public health.[1] He strongly attacked common misconceptions of miasma theory, such as the idea that filth caused disease; that diseases were indiscriminately transmitted through the air by bad smells; and that disinfection was a cure-all for sanitary evils.[2]: 114–115 [1]

Chapin's scientific observations on the nature of the spread of infectious disease gained widespread support. Municipal Sanitation in the United States (1900) became the standard text on urban public health.[3] The Sources and Modes of Infection (1910) influenced physicians and public health officials across United States and Europe by demonstrating the central importance of the human carrier who does not have the symptoms of the disease but carries the germs and spreads it.[2]

In 1914, on behalf of the American Medical Association, Chapin carried out an "epoch-making study of state health departments",[4] and published A Report on State Public Health Work Based on a Survey of State Boards of Health (1915). He developed the first quantitative instrument for scoring state agencies on the effectiveness of their health services. This approach influenced the work of others including the American Public Health Association (APHA).[5][4] Chapin is credited with planting "the roots of quality in public health".[6] Chapin's report also documents the speed at which laboratory services had become an important part of the public health system.[5]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Schwartz was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Cassedy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Schultz was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Turnock, Bernard J.; Handler, Arden S. (May 1997). "From Measuring to Improving Public Health Practice". Annual Review of Public Health. 18 (1): 261–282. doi:10.1146/annurev.publhealth.18.1.261. PMID 9143720. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Valdiserri was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Beitsch, Leslie M.; Yeager, Valerie A.; Moran, John (18 March 2015). "Deciphering the Imperative: Translating Public Health Quality Improvement into Organizational Performance Management Gains". Annual Review of Public Health. 36 (1): 273–287. doi:10.1146/annurev-publhealth-031914-122810. PMID 25494050. Retrieved 10 May 2021.