Control of Communicable Diseases Manual
1917 medical reference book
The Control of Communicable Diseases Manual (CCDM) is one of the most widely recognized reference volumes on the topic of infectious diseases. It is useful for physicians, epidemiologists, global travelers, emergency volunteers and all who have dealt with or might have to deal with public health issues.
The title of the book, as registered in the Library of Congress, is Control of Communicable Diseases Manual 20th edition, An Official Report of the American Public Health Association. The editor of CCDM is David L. Heymann, MD.
History
The first edition, published in 1917 by the US Public Health Service, titled Control of Communicable Diseases. The first edition was a 30-page booklet with 38 diseases (Public Health Reports 32:41:1706-1733), adopted from a pamphlet written by Dr. Francis Curtis, health officer for Newton, Massachusetts, and sold for 5¢. Changes over the years reflect the new discoveries of infectious agents over the past century. The second edition in 1926 included 42 diseases, but only two arthropod (usually mosquito) - borne diseases, yellow and dengue fever and one protozoan disease, malaria. The causative organism of smallpox, dengue and chickenpox was listed as 'unknown.' The third edition in 1932 included two new arthropod infestations and a new disease, coccidioidal granuloma, with a note that it was 100% fatal. Eight diseases were listed as "reportable": diphtheria, epidemic influenza, measles, meningococcal meningitis, polio, scarlet fever, smallpox, and typhoid fever.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Control of Communicable Diseases Manual” as 1917 medical reference book. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the arts & letters register because the source frames it as 1917 medical reference book. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Reception evidence should be dated and situated: later canonical status may differ sharply from the work’s initial circulation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jan 31, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q5165866. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1917, 1706, 1733 and 1926.
Titles can refer to several editions, objects or performances, making precise identification essential before interpretation. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Separate the work, its editions or performances, and its later reception. Catalogue records, publication histories and object files often preserve different parts of that story.
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The original object or edition, catalogue raisonné, performance record, rights file and holding institution.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Control of Communicable Diseases Manual”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Control of Communicable Diseases Manual primary sources, Control of Communicable Diseases Manual archive and Control research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Control of Communicable Diseases Manual” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.