A History of Public Health

by George Rosen, Pascal James Imperato (Foreword), Elizabeth Fee (Introduction)

Since publication in 1958, George Rosen’s classic book has been regarded as the essential international history of public health. Describing the development of public health in classical Greece, imperial Rome, England, Europe, the United States, and elsewhere, Rosen illuminates the lives and contributions of the field’s great figures. He considers such community health problems as infectious disease, water supply and sewage disposal, maternal and child health, nutrition, and occupational disease and injury. And he assesses the public health landscape of health education, public health administration, epidemiological theory, communicable disease control, medical care, statistics, public policy, and medical geography. Rosen, writing in the 1950s, may have had good reason to believe that infectious diseases would soon be conquered. But as Dr. Pascal James Imperato writes in the new foreword to this edition, infectious disease remains a grave threat. Globalization, antibiotic resistance, and the emergence of new pathogens and the reemergence of old ones, have returned public health efforts to the preventing and controlling chronic and communicable diseases and shoring up public health infrastructures that provide potable water, sewage disposal, sanitary environments, and safe food and drug supplies to populations around the globe. A revised introduction by Elizabeth Fee frames the book within the context of the historiography of public health past, present, and future, and an updated bibliography by Edward T. Morman includes significant books on public health history published between 1958 and 2014. For seasoned professionals as well as students, A History of Public Health is visionary and essential reading.

Genres: History, Health, Nonfiction, Science, Medicine, Medical, History Of Medicine

441 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1958

Reviews

[Filipa]

Full of great detail, but so dense and packed that you get tired and unable to remember almost anything.
Definitely an academic book, a quality one, not easy to read though.

[Scott Pearson]

George Rosen wrote this book, originally published in 1958, about the progress that humanity has made in this field. He was optimistic about the progress made with antibiotics and vaccines. He saw opportunity for the eradication of smallpox and malaria. He saw the trajectory of human progress as going upwards.

In 2018, this optimism has been somewhat muted by the realities of HIV/AIDS, by the lingering persistence of many infectious diseases, by the advent of antibiotic-resistant organisms, and by populist movements like the anti-vaccinators. The second half of the twentieth century brought a huge dose of reality to the field of public health.

The updated prologues to this book testify to these historical events. Nonetheless, Rosen's work provides a great template and introduction to the field of public health. From its early beginnings in Egypt, Greece, Rome, and other centers of civilization in the ancient world, public health campaigns have bettered the lives of billions.

I found it especially interesting to survey the different attitudes towards public health and nationalized medicine in various countries. For example, Germany has viewed healthcare with a nationalistic lens dating back to the nineteenth century and the advent of German nationalism. The United States, however, has long been suspicious of such an organizational plan and has suffered inefficiencies due to its paranoia. Cuba has excellent healthcare efficiency. The UK, originally split along political lines about nationalized healthcare, has since viewed its National Health Service with a great deal of national pride. Perhaps there is hope for the United States to resolve its internal squabbles after all.

[Jordyn Williams]

There were some interesting things and was a decent read for class, but I wouldn’t recommend it for general reading.

[Meghan]

Being published in the 1950's, this book is outdated, but that alone does not influence my rating because Rosen couldn't have known about significant public health problems of the future. The introduction uses contemporary insight and bias to judge the content of the book. I disagree with the introduction that certain things were omitted because I did think that they were touched on when relevant. Much of the content can be found in various books on medical history and could have been abbreviated. I would have liked to have seen other parts elaborated on.

[Kristen Johansson]

Extremely detailed and comprehensive view of public health development over history until the 1950’s. Incredibly dense but interesting to learn unique facts about public health’s development across thousands of years.

[Rachel Simpson]

Really interesting but I found it quite hard to read

[Erin]

s'24 - 201E - final project

[Alex Mattie]

listen i get it, it’s fundamental for public health, i just wish it weren’t so goddamn boring. i read it for a class, and i get it, but don’t pick this up if you’re reading for fun. because it isn’t fun

[Bob Koelle]

This is considered a classic text in the subject, written in the 1950s, and this edition begins with an exhaustive consideration of its importance, and an interpretation of its old-fashioned view of the inevitability of scientific progress. The text presupposes a great deal of knowledge about 19th century British politics, among other topics, so the reader will be inundated with names and movements that should be investigated. Keep Wikipedia on speed dial.

[Curtis Seven]

Even though it was written in 1958 it provides an excellent back story to the modern era. Combined with other books on the subject it makes a good foundation element. Disease in the modern era has been attacked with modern science but it's specter is still with us.

[Guille]

An informative and comprehensive work, spanning the ancient world to the mid 50´s (when it was published). Required reading for anyone interested in Public Health and how it has been shaped by social, political and economic forces.

[James Madsen]

A solid account of the history of public health.

[Mills College Library]

614.4 R8131 2015

[Emily]

Added a star for historical significance. This is the first major record of public health history.