Clearing away the miasma

Speaking of miasmas, and attempts to clear them away, there's a relevant article in the recent issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology. Don't be scared, layfolk: though the prose is flatfooted and just plain incoherent in spots, the point is well argued -- namely, rather than squabbling over which Big Variable is to blame for a given disease entity, it'd be much more productive to consider the web of interacting variables.

(By the way, hostility gets top billing in the article because it's a commentary on a recent study devoted to that topic.)

Invited Commentary: Socioeconomic Status, Hostility, and Health Behaviors--Does It Matter Which Comes First?