THE HISTORY OF PUBLIC HEALTH

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Date
2013
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Publisher
Indiana University
Abstract
The PURPOSE of these lectures is to present an overview of the history, and to some extent the historiography, of public health, and its many entities over the centuries-- particularly from the mid-19th century-- so as to gain insight into the depth and breadth of the discipline. Public health theories, methods and practices from antiquity until the present are examined. Public health has not been a straight line of improvement. Practices have risen and fallen over the centuries. Practices and inventions from the past have become forgotten or lost when social-political-religious systems change and are reinvented again.
BACKGROUND: The foundation of modern public health in western society emerged out of the mid-19th and early 20th centuries. Various fields of interest and concern often intertwined and overlapped in this era. These different aspects of public health including hygiene, environmental concerns, physiology, physical and recreational activities and research, nutrition, substance abuse, diseases prevention, maternal and child health have diverged over the twentieth century into seemingly separate fields of study and practice. In the early twenty-first century these fields of practice coalesced under one public health umbrella. The history of anything is based upon perceptions which may, or may not, be what actually occurred. An historian interprets the event based upon primary sources which include original documents, eyewitness reports, or artifacts. Historians in different time periods, or even historians in the same time period, can present differing interpretations based upon the same data. This is because interpretations are influenced by current social, economic, religious, military, or political climate or even personal biases of the researcher. Historical interpretations can be conflicting, controversial and contentious. These interpretations are then presented as peer reviewed papers, conference presentations, or scholarly books which are considered secondary sources. The study of changes in historical interpretations of these people, places, artifacts and events over time is historiography.
Description
Outline for lectures on the history of public health from antiquity through the middle ages and modern era..
Keywords
public health, history, antiquity, middle ages, modern, historiography
Citation
Engs, Ruth C. (2013) THE HISTORY OF PUBLIC HEALTH. Indiana University, Bloomington IN. Retrieved from IUScholarWorks Repository: http://hdl.handle.net/2022/18504
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First published at: http://www.indiana.edu/~engs/sphx505history14.pdf
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This work is licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial license. For permission to reuse this work for commercial purposes, please contact Dr. Ruth Engs or the IU Archives.
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