ABSTRACT
The American Statistical Association describes a survey as a method of gathering information from a number of individuals, a ‘sample’, in order to learn something about the larger population from which the sample has been drawn. The content reflects the objective of the survey: there are monthly US surveys to estimate national unemployment; there are surveys on attitudes about health questions and health care delivery, and there are medical field surveys aimed at ascertaining the prevalence of oc-cupationally related toxic illness. A medical field survey is different from a poll. In a poll there is verbal or written interaction between the respondent and the interviewer. The medical history is recorded by a trained physician on a form where a code menu is available. The form includes codes for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, kidney and urinary tract conditions, gastrointestinal, hematologic, neurological, endocrinologic, metabolic, and connective tissue disorders.
