Major Greenwood

Major Greenwood

Major Greenwood (9 August 1880 – 5 October 1949) was a pioneering British epidemiologist and statistician. He made significant contributions to the field of public health and medical statistics.

Early Life and Education

Greenwood was born in Shoreditch, London. He was the son of a physician, which influenced his early interest in medicine. He attended the Grocers' Company's School and later studied medicine at the University of London, where he earned his medical degree in 1904.

Career

After completing his medical degree, Greenwood worked at the London Hospital and later joined the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine. His work at the Lister Institute marked the beginning of his career in epidemiology and medical statistics.

In 1910, Greenwood was appointed as a lecturer in epidemiology and vital statistics at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. During his tenure, he conducted extensive research on the statistical analysis of public health data, which laid the groundwork for modern epidemiological methods.

Contributions to Epidemiology and Statistics

Greenwood's contributions to the field of epidemiology were numerous. He developed several statistical methods for analyzing public health data, which are still in use today. His work on the Greenwood formula for calculating the variance of the survival function is particularly notable.

He also collaborated with other prominent statisticians, such as Ronald Fisher and Karl Pearson, to advance the field of biostatistics. Greenwood's research on the epidemiology of infectious diseases, including tuberculosis and influenza, provided valuable insights into the spread and control of these diseases.

Later Life and Legacy

In 1928, Greenwood was appointed as the first professor of epidemiology and vital statistics at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. He held this position until his retirement in 1945. During his career, he published numerous papers and books on medical statistics and public health.

Greenwood was a member of several prestigious organizations, including the Royal Society, which he was elected to in 1928. His contributions to the field of epidemiology and statistics have had a lasting impact, and he is remembered as one of the pioneers of modern public health research.

Personal Life

Greenwood married in 1906 and had two children. He passed away on 5 October 1949 in London.

See Also

• Epidemiology
• Biostatistics
• Public health
• London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
• Ronald Fisher
• Karl Pearson