Citation

Rothstein MA. Public Health Ethics 2009; 2(1): 84-88.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/phe/phn041

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In his article in this issue, Daniel Goldberg advocates a broad definition of public health and expressly rejects the narrow definition of public health I proposed in a 2002 article. Goldberg asserts that public health should include all of the root causes of ill health in populations. Such a definition, however, would include within public health war, famine, crime, illiteracy and numerous other conditions on which public health professionals and agencies lack the resources, expertise and public support to act. The appropriate definition explicitly recognizes that public health is a legal term of art referring to specifically authorized activities by public officials to protect, promote and improve population health.