A History of Public Health

Concepts of preventing infection, malnutrition, and sanitation have existed since ancient times. Ideals of “sanctity of human life” and “improve the world” in Mosaic Law, linked with Greek traditions of healthful nutrition and lifestyle, are relevant in modern public health. Roman sanitary engineering and military medicine made pivotal contributions. Hospital organization and university training for physicians developed during Islamic and Christian periods. The rise of cities, the Renaissance, and rapid changes in agriculture, trade, and industry all contributed to public health. New social, political, and economic reforms in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, contributing to sanitation, social reform, and improved nutrition and medical care, led to improved longevity and quality of life in the twentieth century. Immunology, social security, health insurance, and health promotion expanded the scope and effectiveness of global health. Biomedical and social sciences, technology, and public health organization are critical as public health faces old and new health challenges.