“From its new title onwards, the fourth edition of this excellent and engaging text explores the geographical dimensions of both health and medical concerns. New chapters and sections address pressing global issues such as obesity and climate change, as well as novel methods and theoretical perspectives including political ecology, spatial epidemiology, and epigenetics. Geographers will find the book a thought-provoking introduction to the worlds of health and medicine, while public health professionals will find it an accessible entry point to geographic perspectives and methods.”

—Sara L. McLafferty, PhD, Department of Geography, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign


“The fourth edition is a major update, with several new chapters covering such topics as political ecology and genetics. The title has been expanded from Medical Geography to Health and Medical Geography, reflecting the important shift to integrated perspectives. The authors present diverse holistic approaches to a broad and complex set of topics. This is arguably the comprehensive volume on health and medical geography—an evolution of a classic text that reflects the dynamic changes in the field. The writing is clear and engaging, and it avoids burying the reader in nonessential terminology or references. Many genuinely interesting historical and contemporary examples—some of them new even to this experienced reader—are included to illustrate the ideas.”

—Andrew C. Comrie, PhD, School of Geography and Development, University of Arizona


“I am very happy with the new additions and updates in the fourth edition. I like the new discussion of genetically based differences in metabolism and the expanded coverage of water pollution as an environmental justice issue. Disease diffusion is now framed in terms of environmental exposures, the mobility transition, and the space–time context. An impressive amount of work went into updating this text, which will be useful for instructors in our field.”

—Sue C. Grady, PhD, Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University


“Comprehensive, well organized, and engaging. One strength of the text is that it provides basic information on geographic concepts, so that students without a geography background will not be 'lost.' It should work well for almost any introductory medical or health geography course, regardless of the instructor’s particular interests—there is something for everyone. The book is well illustrated and presents example studies from all parts of the globe. The references and suggestions for further reading are not only useful for preparing lectures, but also can serve well for students further pursuing medical geographic or epidemiologic study. I will use this book in my course.”

—Anthony J. Dzik, PhD, Department of Social Sciences, Shawnee State University, Ohio