Idealism and Ethics of Public-health Practitioners

Abstract

possibly distract from that point; and besides, Mac kenbach devotes greater attention to guiding that journey than to making the case for his point. Scattered among the historical experiences in the journey are these lessons for the present: First, that 'the ethical foundations of public health are less self evident than we would like,' calling for 'an analysis' of these. Second, that while public-health practitio ners generally are imbued with 'large-scale altruism,' this may be rooted more in Utopian idealism than realism, prone to be translated into overzealous public-health actions. And finally, then, the actual point: the 'suggestion' that 'the large-scale altruism of public health has to be balanced with the value of individual autonomy.' The journey reveals, very notably, that the present 'idealism' in public health could have had its roots in fascism - Third Reich 'public health policies that we today would regard as very progressive,' notably the 'very strict non-smoking policies including bans on smoking and extensive health education campaigns.' The guide of the journey points out, however, that this