Origin Organized as a field in the nineteenth century sanitary reform movement, prompted by repeated cholera epidemics in industrial cities; Edwin Chadwick 1842 report on the sanitary condition of the labouring population and the resulting Public Health Act of 1848 in Britain are commonly cited founding milestones, building on the same era environmental thinking that also produced John Snow epidemiological work.
Public health is the science and practice of protecting and improving the health of whole populations, through disease prevention, sanitation, vaccination programs and policy, rather than treating individual patients one at a time. Its modern institutional form traces to nineteenth century sanitary reform movements responding to industrial urban epidemics, and it now spans epidemic and disaster response, environmental health, immunization campaigns and health education worldwide.
Facts
Origin PeriodOrganized as a field in the nineteenth century sanitary reform movement, prompted by repeated cholera epidemics in industrial cities; Edwin Chadwick 1842 report on the sanitary condition of the labouring population and the resulting Public Health Act of 1848 in Britain are commonly cited founding milestones, building on the same era environmental thinking that also produced John Snow epidemiological work. 2 Classification
Type/ClassificationPublic Health Specialty 1 Public Health
Filter Results3 entries
Connections
Associated With
Contact tracing is a core public health disease control technique.
Fluoride therapy is a preventive public health and dental measure.
Isolation of infected patients is a core public health and infection control measure.
Needle and syringe programmes are a public health harm reduction measure.
Quarantine is a core public health disease control measure.
Water fluoridation is a public health measure to reduce dental disease.
Long-Form Articles
Notable Specialists
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
Lillian Wald founded public health nursing at the Henry Street Settlement.
Sara Josephine Baker was a pioneering public health physician who reduced infant mortality in New York City.
Source Encyclopaedia Britannica
William Crawford Gorgas led sanitary and mosquito-control public health campaigns for the Panama Canal.
Sources
1. Public Health (Wikipedia)
WikipediaLead section, sentences 1-2Quote, Lead section, sentences 1-2
Public health is "the science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the determinants of health of a population and the threats it faces is the basis for public health.
2. The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity
Roy Porter, W. W. Norton and Company, 1997
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Essays About This Entity (1 essay)
Three Public Health Careers, Each Defined by One Specific Act
Frequently Asked Questions
How does public health differ from treating individual patients?
It works on whole populations through prevention, sanitation, vaccination and policy.
Public health protects and improves the health of whole populations through disease prevention, sanitation, vaccination programs and policy, rather than treating individual patients one at a time.
Where does modern public health trace its institutional form?
Nineteenth century sanitary reform movements.
Its modern institutional form traces to nineteenth century sanitary reform movements responding to industrial urban epidemics.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.