Ever wonder what some of the big public health problems in the U.S. in the past century looked like? How did officials recognize, describe, and handle them-problems such as a bubonic plague that hit San Francisco in 1900? Or drug addiction in the 1920s? Or the identification of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome as described by the U.S. Surgeon General?
The Association of Schools of Public Health has published an historical collection of papers of the U.S. Public Health Service from 1878-2005. Each original paper is prefaced by a commentary from public health leaders. The special collection of Public Health Reports can be ordered here.
Another book on public health, Milestones in Public Health, has been published and made available free of charge by pharmaceutical company Pfizer. The book describes eleven public health milestones from the 20th century. Each chapter outlines the history behind the milestone and provides a case study, a vignette, and a reflection on the challenges that lie ahead in each topic area. Examples of the topics covered by the book are: vaccines, oral health, infectious disease control, and cardiovascular disease. For more information, visit the
Pfizer Public Health Group website.
Copyright, 2009, President and Fellows of Harvard College
