The Contested Boundaries of American Public Health

The Contested Boundaries of Public and Population Health will be a valuable text not only in schools of public health but also in those of economics, political science, medicine, history, sociology and law. James Colgrove, Gerald Markowitz and David Rosner compile a volume of essays that address some of the most high-profile and contested subjects in the arenas of public health and medicine, and approach these topics from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. Despite public health being a critical part of a larger set of social welfare activities that are centrally responsible for reducing illness, suffering, and death and improving society's quality of life, it still remains largely misunderstood by society. At different points of history, legitimate targets for public health professionals have included housing reform, education about nutrition, sex, and drugs, hospital and clinic care, gun violence, and even bioterrorism. This collection of essays explores the seemingly straightforward question that is central to debates about how best to prevent illness and enhance the well-being of society: What are the boundaries of public health today and how have they changed over time? The collection of essays stem from a diverse group of scholars involved in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. They approach the conceptual and professional boundaries of public and population health in a descriptive and analytical context with the common goal of attempting to understand what are, and what should be, the field's chief goals and activities.