Abstract
‘Optimism, despite it all’ is the title of the last chapter of the last book written by Rene Dubos, the greatest of 20th century public health writers.1 Dubos was born in 1901 in France, studied agronomics, and emigrated to the United States in 1924 to start a career in microbiology. He is most known for his writings about ecology and human health. He received the 1969 Pulitzer prize for his bestselling So Human an Animal , in which he argues how man is profoundly shaped by his environment.2 Everybody knows his famous dictum ‘Think globally, act locally’. This idea was developed in the 1970s, in response to the concern of American students with environmental and social problems. They were advised by Dubos to first consider more local situations. ‘If we really want to contribute to the welfare of humankind and of our planet, the best place to start is in our own community, … Correspondence: Johan P. Mackenbach, Department of Public Health, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, PO Box 1738, 3000, DR Rotterdam, The Netherlands, e-mail: j.mackenbach@erasmusmc.nl
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