Medical geography is an emerging field of health research that merges the disciplines of geography and medicine, focusing on the spatial dimensions of health and healthcare. It examines how location and climate impact health, striving to deepen the understanding of the factors that affect population health and, consequently, individual well-being. This field is also referred to as health geographics.The notion that geography can influence health is not novel; it is an ancient and productive idea. Since around the 3rd century BC, it has been recognized that certain illnesses occur in specific locations for valid reasons. For instance, malaria is not found at high altitudes but is prevalent in lowland areas where mosquitoes, the carriers of the disease, thrive.A seminal study in medical geography occurred in 1854 during a cholera outbreak in London. The death toll was constant, and people feared contamination from ground vapors. Dr. John Snow hypothesized that identifying the disease's source could help control it. He mapped the residences of cholera victims alongside local water pumps and discovered that the majority of cases were linked to the Broad Street pump. He deduced that the water from this pump was contaminated and advised the removal of its handle to prevent usage. Subsequently, the number of cholera cases drastically reduced, confirming the pump as the source.In the early 20th century, two dentists in Colorado observed that children residing in areas with naturally high fluoride levels in groundwater had fewer dental cavities. Their finding highlighted the benefits of fluoride, demonstrating the practical application of medical geography, or what could be more accurately termed health geography in this context.
