Overpopulation and Public Health

Emily Maynard sent me a link to a very nice research graphic that she helped to develop laying out some of the key facts related to population growth. The title of the infographic is "The Effect of Overpopulation on Public Health," and it helps make the case that a wide range of health issues in the world are the result of the phenomenal increase in population size over the past two hundred years. This is absolutely true, and well-trained health professionals of all types will continue to be in demand for the foreseeable future. At the same time, the infographic fails to note that the spread of public health technology is also a root cause of population growth. Indeed, public health is one of the greatest success stories in all of human history, and we need to keep reminding ourselves of that because, as the infographic highlights, and the recent Ebola scare points out, it is a project without end.