Public Health and Policies Flashcards
Why is Rudolf Virchow significant?
Concluded that both medicine and politics are interlinked
Medicine is just politics on a large scale
What does Virchow’s view lead to?
That all ill health is due to the inequalities in healthcare
What does the 1988 WHO definition of public health suggest?
“the art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts of society”
Societal organisation is detrimental in how healthcare is provided, so therefore politics is needed
As its seen as art, the thinking process is encouraged to be outside of the box
What are public health policies?
Actions set out by the government with the aims of improving conditions as to increase health
Public health focuses on everything
What are the key points of the WHO definition of public health, and what do they suggest?
Purposely broad and flexible: covers explicit and implicit health-related activities created by societal organisation
The core purposes are preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health (thus relies on understandings of health)
It relies on “organized societal function”, and thus is contestable and inherently “political” (who organises society and who is included within this organised effort?)
It changes over time (and this connects to history, social movements and politics)
Why is public health significant in history?
Public health has always existed in organised societies
When was public health established in modern history?
19th century- Industrial Revolution
Noted in 1830s
How did the 1830s help with the establishment of public health?
Recorded data with statistics to examine health disparities and links with death and societies
What are some examples of explicit public health policies?
Factory Acts
Street cleaners
What was the importance of the ‘Big Stink’?
Led to the promotion of disease, therefore the government intervened and public health increased
Why was there an increase in public health generally in the 1830s?
Increase in the uptake of Marxism in the outlook on societal classes, so there was an increase in public health
Why is Frederick Engels important?
Wrote about Manchester living conditions which led to an outcry and movement to change public health
Why is Engels work significant?
Spoke about how working conditions led to poor health
Work led to the Factory Acts
Why were work houses not sufficient as living conditions?
Work houses were cramped and housed many people so there was swift transmission of diseases
Food was only provided until you were unfit for work
What did Engel’s work prove?
Health, society and social conditions are all interlinked
