'A memorandum on the present position and prospects of medical statistics and epidemiology' by Major Greenwood

We present an unpublished, possibly unsent, memorandum written by Major Greenwood in 1928 that is of historical importance. It raises three issues, namely, the profile of medical statistics in 1928, the development of mathematical statistics in the U.K., and the staffing of his own department. Some of these issues are still relevant today. We discuss each of them against the historical background of the first quarter of the 20th century. Some additional biographical details relevant to the understanding of the memorandum are provided in an Appendix. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.