THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Abstract

Leaders in government and industry and professionals of every variety are often faced with problems relating to the theories and practices of public health and preventive medicine. The standard textbooks fashioned to meet the needs of students and practitioners of public health assume the existence of a positive attitude toward the subject as well as basic knowledge in the biological sciences and medicine. This parochial approach does little to bridge the gap of understanding between public health specialists and the rest of the community. We now have an extensive volume, written by 35 leaders in their respective fields, covering most every phase of public health-a volume which presents the subject matter in a perspective, both historical and in relation to the facts of daily living. The material is organized on a problem-centered basis rather than in relation to the framework of health agency organization and procedures. To the practitioner of public health in the sophisticated climate in the United States, the manner of presentation is at first disconcerting. The elementary but erudite constructions in everyday language, rather than the scientific formulations in public health jargon, are particularly striking. The historical development of each subject is especially welcome. The references at the end of each chapter, while well chosen and probably easily accessible in the nations of the British Commonwealth, will for the greater part be difficult to secure in most communities in the United States. Should this volume be recommended as a standard reference for public health administrators? It has limited value as a source of material that can be used when one is faced with specific scientific or administrative problems. It should, however, be of inestimable value when preparing a presentation to the budget committee of the legislature or in writing a speech to be delivered to the League of Women Voters. In other words, we have at our disposal a major aid in the exposition of public health problems and methods written for the most part in the tradition of basic English, and to the public healther as well as the lay or nonspecialist reader. It can serve as a valuable tool in health education. JESSE B. ARONSON