Harold Fred Dorn and the First National Cancer Survey (1937-1939): the founding of modern cancer epidemiology

Abstract

The development of modern epidemiology, particularly cancer epidemiology, is often seen as a post-World War II phenomenon. However, the First National Cancer Survey, conducted from 1937 to 1939 as part of the newly formed National Cancer Institute's initial activities, provided the first data on the occurrence of cancer in the United States. This project was directed by a young sociologist, Harold Fred Dorn. Through Dorn, many of the methodological innovations in sociology, such as the use of surveys and observational study designs, were incorporated into modern epidemiology. I examine Dorn's training and early career in the context of the First National Cancer Survey as a means of investigating the beginnings of modern epidemiology.

Harold Fred Dorn, PhD, 1906–1963. Source. National Library of Medicine.

FIGURE 1

Relationships between Harold F. Dorn and some of the major figures in sociology, statistics, and epidemiology in the first half of the 20th century. Note. Solid lines denote established pedagogical relationships or working relationships; dashed lines indicate relationships inferred but for which direct evidence is lacking.