History of Public Health

Introduction

Methods of preventing disease go back many centuries. Concepts of disease were crude and often based on anacdote. Some recommendations and practices were ineffective, if not even harmful to health such as bloodletting.

In the mid-1800's there was a hygine movement, perticularly in the UK, with focus of improvements of cleanless and well-being of the poor. Additionally, at the end of the 19th century germ theory became accepted.

There are 4 outcomes to take from this course:

1. Explain the evolution of concepts about cause and prevention of disease
2. Understand the importance of studying the factors associated with outcomes in a systematic way in human populations.
3. Discuss some of the major historical figures and events that played a role in evolution of public health and epidemiology
4. Discribe the overall structure of the public health system in the US today

Early Concepts of Disease

10,000 years ago when humans were hunter-gatherers and lived in small, nomatic groups accumulating waste and contaimination wasn't a problem. Early concpets of disease revolved around superstition, myths and religion (bad spirits, pandora's box, etc).

The agricultural revolution provided more sucure supply of food and enable expansion of population. People often lived off one or two crops, often lacking protein and vitamins. The domesticated animals provided food and labor, but also carried diseases that could be transmitted to humans. Waste accumulation attriacted rodents and insect vectos and with people living in larger groups there was a greater opporunity for transmission of diseases.

The first concept of diseae not founded on superstition was the hippocratic corpus; A Greek concept that disease is caused by an inbalance of the environmnet or natural forces, and Blood, Bile, Phlegm, and Melancholy must be kept equal.equal within the body. Although the concept clearly incorrect by today's medical standardsstandards, Greek doctors would perscribe changes in diet and lifestyle. It also became the rational for bloodletting, which continued for many centuries dispite lack of evidence.