Epidemiology and primary health care

University departments of epidemiology and primary medical care have tended to develop separately because they require very different skills. The Department of Community Medicine at St. Thomas's Hospital Medical School, London, is an example of a harmonious, combined development of the two disciplines. Working as a multidisciplinary team, the department has conducted studies initiated by epidemiologists, primary physicians and the interaction of the two. Examples are given from past and current research of the department. Through mutual cooperation the scientific knowledge of the epidemiologist and the down-to-earth practical knowledge of the clinician have complemented each other to produce valid research of practical relevance. The association has also provided educational facilities for medical students for whom, as physicians, protocol thinking, analysis and questioning of accepted "facts" will become increasingly important.