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.
