History of Education in Public Health

This is the first book to examine and compare the historical and contemporary problems of education for public health in Britain and the United States. Here, historians of public health on both sides of the Atlantic compare and contrast the political, economic, and social forces shaping the diverse patterns for public health and the relationship of public health to medical education and practice. In Britain, education for public health has been directed solely toward the medical profession and has been shaped by the organization of medical care and the professional interests of medical practitioners. The United States has developed independent schools of public health open to physicians, engineers, nurses, administrators, lawyers, and other professional groups; the result is a more open form of professional education which is however only loosely tied to the existing patterns of public health practice. Because the different systems of education and training for public health developed in these two countries continue to serve as models for international public health schools and training programs, this study should provoke and inform policy decisions about the future directions of education in all countries interested in building stronger and more effective public health care systems.