The theoretical level of medical geography development can be judged by the level of its language development, so called understanding terminological aparatus, existance of medical geographers as scientists, quality of books, textbooks, journals. It is necessary to emphasize that understanding terminological aparatus is being at the level of its forming. One of the reason of it is that this science is very young (the term "medical geogrphy" first was used in 17 century), as well as peculiarities formation of its scientific language, such as necessity for using terms as geographical and medical sciences, by expediency of old ukrainian terms renewal, creation of new terms according to the gramatical and phonetical rules of ukrainian language. Nowadays new medical geographical textbooks is just necessary to have and to be pubished in ukrainian language. It is just necessary to have chairs of medical geography within geography faculties for preparation of highlyqualified medical-geographers. One of the most important theoretical problems facing medical geography is the elaboration of medical-geographical region division in Ukraine. Solution of this problem has also and practical usage. Expedient economical and social country regional development strategy is possible only in condition considering medical - geographical regional division. Not less important theoretical problem that is being faced is the spreading of methods of medical geographical environmental assessment, peculiarities of people adjustment to the environment. Despite the fact that medical geography was formed as an independent branch of knowleadge, it is very important to specify the subject of medical geography, to specify its functions, etc. The necessity for it imideate solution was emphisized by professor Oleg Shablij in the article "Problems and task of medical geography development in Ukraine" which was published in the materials of international conference "Health and Environment" held in Lublin (Poland) on September 14-15 1993. In this work prof. Shablij expressed his own view on the subject of medical geography: "The subject of medical geography is a spatial structure those aspects of society which have direct influence on the health and of its representatives and health itself".
Integral environment pollution of Ukraine
Otherwords it is the spatial structure of health branch. Furthermore he specified the object of medical geography investigation: "It investigates, first of all, the forms of geographical organization of the health sphere. Such forms are as territorial medical systems, beginning from the innitial up to common state, international and even global". Besides, O.I.Shablij (1993) stresses an importance on the solution necessity in the nearest time the following theoretical problems of medical geography:
- humanisation of the medical geographical science;
- theoretical social factors of spatial health branch organisation forms;
- geographical aspects of geographical and social health, etc.
There are also some practical problems of medical geography. Among them are:
- medical-geographical assessment separate components of natural, man made and social environmenrt - assessment methods, expected assessment results. etc;
- methodical-geographical assessment of separate territorial complexes;
- geography study of some diseases and environmnet factors which causes them;
- regional medical-geographical researchers - study of concrete state territories;
- medical-geographical study of foreign countries with the aim of influence determining on the medical-geographical situation in Ukraine, etc.
The most important medical-geographical practical problem today is the territory assessment, polluted in the result of Chornobyl explosion. This problem is being investigated by professors in the Insitute of Geography of Ukrainian National Academy of Science: T.V. Balabanov, I.O. Gorlenko, V.S. Davudchuk, R.P. Cyprash, S.M. Maljuk, V.P. Palienko, L.G.Rudenko, M. I.Fashevskyj, L.M. Shevchenko, T.E. Jasnjuk. At this point it is very valuable research made by Ljubov Kovalevska and results published in her book "Chornobyl DSP" (K., 1995).
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Not less important practical medical-geographical
problem which was raised in 1993 by scientists in Lviv
State University by O.I.Shablij and L.T. Shevchuk is
investigation of regional peculiarities of labour
resources exhaust in the conditions of present crisis
which paralised all spheres of social life in Ukraine.
S.B. Visna and I.P. Kovalchuk (Lviv State University )
made an attempt to open tasks and directions of
medical-geographical researches. They presented their
ideas at the confernce "Problems of ukrainian
geography" which was held in October 25-27, 1994 in
Lviv. To their mind on the present level of
medical-geographical researches it is the most important
to solve the following problems: 1. Study and assessment
of radiological, noise, electromagnetic and thermal
environment contamination on population health; 2.
concentration analysis of toxic elements in consumption
products and consequence assessment of their consumption;
3. corelation assessment in the system "Vegetative
and Animal life- people health" etc. Listed above
theoretical and practical problems - are only small part
of the problems which just necessary to solve by medical
geography in the future perspective. Solution of these
problems would not just enrich medical geography as a
separate scientific branch but would become an essential
part in choosing people behaviour in the enviroment with
the aim of maximum health preserving. |
