Alan Melnick

As threats of infectious disease grow and the nation confronts chronic health problems such as diabetes and obesity, health professionals, citizens, and community stakeholders must address increasingly complex ethical conflicts about public health policies and practices. Essentials of Public Health Ethics introduces students to the field of public health ethics, by focusing on cases. Topics span the discipline of public health and integrate materials, concepts, and frameworks from numerous fields in public health, such as health promotion, environmental health and health policy. By delving into both historical and contemporary cases, including international cases, the authors investigate the evolution and impact of various understandings of the concept of “the public” over time, i.e., the public not only as a numerical population that can be defined and measured, but also as a political group with legally defined obligations and relationships, as well as diverse cultural and moral understandings. While the text examines a range of philosophical theories and contemporary perspectives, it is written in a way that presupposes no previous exposure to the philosophical concepts but at the same time provides challenging cases for students who do have more advanced knowledge. Thus the book should be useful in Schools and Programs in Public Health as well as for undergraduate public health courses in liberal arts institutions and for health sciences students at the advanced undergraduate and graduate levels.

The intentional use of biological or chemical agents to cause disease or destroy food and water supplies for political or economic reasons dates to antiquity. The turn of the twentieth century heralded the development of lethal biological and chemical weapons capable of mass destruction. By the final two decades of the twentieth century, individuals and small groups learned how to obtain and use these weapons effectively. The events of the past few decades, including the World Trade Center and anthrax attacks in 2001, have shown that small groups of individuals, as well as nations, have the resources to coordinate attacks using chemical, biological and radiological agents. Given the long history of biological and chemical warfare, and given that that many of these agents are relatively easy to obtain and use, future attacks are possible. If they occur, primary care clinicians will have key roles to play in protecting their patients and the public. The illnesses that biological, chemical and radiological weapons cause can be difficult to distinguish from naturally occurring illness. Clearly, clinicians will need a basic understanding of diseases caused by these agents, including their associated epidemiology, and an understanding on how to work with public health officials to protect their patients and the public.

This clear and accessible text helps public health professionals gain a solid understanding of geographic information system technology; what it is, how it works, and how it shapes their careers. Using examples drawn from public health practice, the author fully explains this exciting technological development.