ABSTRACT
Many people speak of ‘Health’ as a definable and measurable quantity, characteristically expressing it in a negative way via mortality or morbidity statistics of populations. It is to be noted that Bertillon, who in 1873 rescued the term ‘mesology’ from oblivion, maintained that there are only two possible ways of modifying man either individually or in the mass. The number of ways in which a living organism can react to a stimulus is smaller than the variety of stimuli to which it may be exposed. In the search for quantitative criteria many ‘health indicators’ have been suggested, often classified into three groups. These include, those associated with the health status of persons or populations in a given area, those related to physical environmental conditions having a more or less direct bearing on the health status of the population in the area under review, and those concerned with health-service activities directed to improvement of health conditions.
