Course description: This course provides students with an abbreviated survey of the history of public health in that region of the world which is now the United States. From this historical perspective, we cover the epistemological, ethical, and legal dimensions of medicine at the level of populations. We begin with the biological, examining early responses to epidemics of infectious disease. We then move with innovations in sanitation and germ theory to the development of policy and institutions. Finally, we end our semester by looking at controversies in public health practice from the mid-twentieth century to the present. Students engage with written and artistic historical documentation related to public health concepts and events.
IMPORTANT