A History of Public Health

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.