Question

Please identify tow historic or sentinel events in public health history and how these shaped our understanding of public health or the evolution of public health systems.

Answer 1

Ans) public health is defined as the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting physical health and efficiency through organised community efforts for the sanitation of the environment,the control of community infections ,the education of the individual in principles of personal hygiene.

It includes: early concepts of disease:

Hunter -gatherer: they had a short life span,but not because of epidemics, their primary problem was not finding enough food to eat.

The agricultural revolution:

The shift from the hunter -gatherer mode of living to an agricultural model provided a more secure supply of food.

The bubonic plague:

Bubonic plague is an acute infectious disease caused by the bacterium yersinia pestis.there were Crude medicine that were to prevent or cure bubonic plague.

Quarantine and isolation:

The use of Quarantine as a public health measures dates back to the 14 century when the black death ravaged Italy and the rest of europe.

Quarantine is different from isolation,which is separation of person who has the disease.

Quarantine refers to the separation of an individual who has possibly been exposed to disease.

Public health is about interventions that prevent disease from occurring,so the benefits tend to the less obvious.In addition prevention of disease both prolong life and improve the quality of life.

Major achievements of public health in 20th century:

Vaccinations to reduce epidemic disease.

Eradication of small pox.

Safer work place.

Control of infectious diseases.

Family planning.

Improvement of maternal and child health.