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One hundred years ago, an influenza pandemic swept across the globe that coincided with the development of a neurological condition, named "encephalitis lethargica" for the occurrence of its main symptom, the sudden onset of sleepiness that either developed into coma or gradually receded. Between 1917 and 1920, mortality of the flu was >20 million and of encephalitis lethargica approximately 1 million. For lessons to be learned from this pandemic, it makes sense to compare it with the COVID‐19 pandemic, which occurred 100 years later. Biomedical progress had enabled testing, vaccinations, and drug therapies accompanied by public health measures such as social distancing, contact tracing, wearing face masks, and frequent hand washing. From todays' perspective, these public health measures are time honored but not sufficiently proven effective, especially when applied in the context of a vaccination strategy. Also, the protective effects of lockdowns of schools, universities, and other institutions and the restrictions on travel and personal visits to hospitals or old‐age homes are not precisely known. Preparedness is still a demand for a future pandemic. Clinical trials should determine the comparative effectiveness of such public health measures, especially for their use as a combination strategy with vaccination and individual testing of asymptomatic individuals. It is important for neurologists to realize that during a pandemic the treatment possibilities for acute stroke and other neurological emergencies are reduced, which has previously led to an increase of mortality and suffering. To increase preparedness for a future pandemic, neurologists play an important role, as the case load of acute and chronic neurological patients will be higher as well as the needs for rehabilitation. Finally, new chronic forms of postviral disease will likely be added, as was the case for postencephalitic parkinsonism a century ago and now has occurred as long COVID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global tobacco epidemic stands as one of the most significant threats to public health in history. With a staggering death toll exceeding 8 million annually, the impact is profound. Smoking prevalence varies greatly between regions and even within countries of the same region. Currently, the highest rates of male smoking are observed in the Western Pacific nations. In India, tobacco usage, encompassing both smoking and non-smoking forms, remains prevalent. Smoking cigarettes is recognized as a major contributor to various neurological disorders, with oxidative stress implicated as a potential mechanism of smoking-related harm resulting brainstem hypoxia which contributes to abnormalities in brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP), resulting in significant impairment of the functions of the eighth cranial nerve and the brainstem among smokers. This research investigates the profound effects of oxidative stress on brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP), in tobacco smokers. The study encompasses a diverse array of measurements, including anthropometric data, blood pressure, brainstem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) oxidative stress markers (malondialdehyde - MDA and superoxide dismutase - SOD), and serum electrolytes. The results shed light on the intricate relationship between tobacco smoking, oxidative stress, and neurological outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognition of misinformation as a public health threat and interest in infodemics, defined as an inundation of information accompanying an epidemic or acute health event, have increased worldwide. However, scientists have no consensus on how to best define and identify misinformation and other essential characteristics of infodemics. We conducted a narrative review of secondary historical sources to examine previous infodemics in relation to four infectious diseases associated with pandemics (ie, smallpox, cholera, 1918 influenza, and HIV) and challenge the assumption that misinformation is a new phenomenon associated with increased use of social media or with the COVID-19 pandemic. On the contrary, we found that the spread of health misinformation has always been a public health challenge that has necessitated innovative solutions from medical and public health communities. We suggest expanding beyond the narrow scope of addressing misinformation to manage information ecosystems, defined as how people consume, produce, interact with, and behave around information, which include factors such as trust, stigma, and scientific literacy. Although misinformation can spread on a global scale, this holistic approach advocates for community-level interventions that improve relationships and trust between medical or public health entities and local populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surrounding the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, government chemist Harvey Washington Wiley and the Bureau of Chemistry at the Department of Agriculture conducted experiments in Washington, D.C., on food adulteration. Contributing to new urban histories of science and focusing on how Wiley saw adulteration as an urban conundrum, this article shows how D.C.'s longstanding status as a "model city" allowed Wiley and the Bureau to use the city, somewhat paradoxically, as both a laboratory for studying toxic urbanity and as a representation of a healthy urban ideal. As D.C.'s population grew dramatically at the turn of the century, Wiley's science mirrored the unease he associated with urban growth, deception, and food adulteration. Wiley promoted an ethic of authenticity as part of an antimodernist or nostalgic modernist science that sought to quell the epidemic of deception that ravaged food production, science, and the American city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ivan Illich (1926–2002) was a historian, social critic, and professor at multiple universities. He came to intellectual fame through his criticisms of modern institutions, including health care, and his concern with social structures that he believed to impede human flourishing. However, Illich has not been thoroughly explored as a source of insight for public health professionals. Although he populates the medical and public health literature, discourse remains sparse about how Illich might contribute to key conversations in public health today. In this article, I explore Illich's potential contributions to modern public health through one of his seminal works, Tools for Conviviality. I frame Illich as a valuable conversational partner for public health professionals at a crucial moment in the field's history. (Am J Public Health. 2024;114(7):723–728. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307675) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic and the racial justice uprisings of 2020–2022 created an altered and challenging landscape for teaching public health. Challenging and direct experiences with these public health issues and their reverberations shaped how some faculty and many students participated in both online and in-person classrooms. In this project, we conducted a narrative analysis of oral history interviews with eight faculty members at a public university in New York City to understand how they reacted to these events and reconsidered their public health teaching during this period. We map what propelled faculty along paths of change and where these paths led. We learn that participating faculty shifted in varied ways toward more intentional and sometimes more antiracist teaching practices. Two experiences were foundational to these shifts: (1) faculty attunement to student realities during this time, and (2) faculty reflection on their own social positionings (i.e., race, gender identity, sexual orientation, class, age, immigration status, etc.) and their development of critical consciousness. These findings provide insights into how faculty conceptualize, support, and change their teaching approaches during periods of upheaval, particularly in the context of limited institutional support for faculty development. Finally, we discuss key issues for institutions seeking to formalize and enhance shifts like those described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The U.S. federal government adopted aggressive policies to control animal diseases decades before it made significant attempts to improve human health. Progressive-era reformers crafted a powerful argument that the male-dominated, rural-oriented political system valued the lives of hogs more than the well-being of babies. The invidious hog-baby comparison became a pervasive theme in debates over the Children's Bureau, a National Department of Health, and the Sheppard-Towner Act, and it has been reproduced uncritically in recent years. This article investigates the important historical relationships between U.S. animal and human health policies. Human health champions would have been better served by embracing a One Health approach when possible, drawing more on the lessons learned in combating animal diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This bibliography details women's history articles that have appeared in the Indiana Magazine of History during its 120 years of publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to foresee the outbreak of epidemic disease, and to predict its course, is a highly coveted skill. Most often associated with statistical techniques, such efforts to improve the health of communities are thought to be exclusively modern. Public health more generally is often said to be categorically distinct from pre-modern medicine, which was interested above all in individual patients and rarely considered the broader health of a population. This article challenges these long-entrenched views by showcasing early modern astrologers at work on disease at the population level. Located at the intersection of medicine and mathematics, astrology was once a promising methodology for monitoring the health of the people. Astrologers made annual predictions about the diseases that would predominate in particular regions, disseminating their forecasts widely alongside advice on what should be done in response. Their ability to think in terms of relatively standardized 'populations' — alongside their attempts to correlate the incidence of disease with external factors — made astrologers prime candidates for developing novel approaches to epidemics. Before the epidemiologist there was the astrologer, who looked to the stars to find patterns between celestial configurations and major health events, using their findings to model the rise and fall of epidemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Alma‑Ata Declaration of 1978 was a historic hallmark in the history of public health of the 20th century. It stressed on comprehensive primary health care and led to the slogan of “Health for All by 2000 A.D.” The Conference documents made it clear that primary health care was essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound, and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community through their full participation and at a cost that the community and country could afford to maintain at every stage of their development in the spirit of self‑reliance and self‑determination. It was proclaimed to form an integral part of a country’s health system. In addition, as a consequence, the overall social and economic development of the community depended on its survival. It was regarded as the first level of contact of individuals, the family, and community with the national health system bringing health care as close as possible to where people live and work. Instead of disease‑centred vertical programs, it emphasised to adopt the horizontal community‑based programs. Though the worldwide stir caused by the historic Alma‑Ata Conference (1978), giant MNCs of the world remained hibernated for some time but never gave up to turn “health” into “health care” as commodity. Intriguingly enough, health was “forgotten” when the Covenant of the League of Nations was drafted after the First World War. Only at the last moment, world health was included, leading to the Health Section of the League of Nations. Recently, Intergovernmental Negotiating Body has drafted a new Pandemic Treaty which might become disastrous for general well‑being and rightful living for citizens in future. All these observations are very much relevant if family medicine and primary care are given due importance at the present moment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the 1988 report "The Future of Public Health" from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) which concluded that the governmental public health in the U.S. is a system in disarray. Cited are work done to strengthen academic-practice linkages since 1988 report, how the absence of financial and organizational renaissance continues to hinder capacity of the public health profession, and work that remains unfinished from the IOM reports.

The article highlights the progress in U.S. public health since the publication of the 1988 report "The Future of Public Health" from the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Cited are future of public health after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published request for applications for funding as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of March 11, 2021, state of public health that led to the naming of the IOM committee, and efforts to bring about the embodiment of the report's vision.

A paper published in the journal Nature titled "Genomic data in the All of Us Research Program" has faced criticism for its use of racial categories to represent genetic diversity. The paper's figure, titled "Genetic ancestry in All of Us," uses six racial groups to represent the participant population. However, the use of race in genetics and genomics research has been widely criticized for its limitations and potential to reinforce misconceptions about human differences. A 2023 report by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommended against using race as a proxy for genetic variation in research. The report provides 12 recommendations for improving the study of human genetic diversity and avoiding the reinforcement of racial concepts in scientific research. The success of these recommendations will depend on the support of funding agencies, the willingness of scientists to follow the guidelines, and collaboration between the genetic and genomics community and other fields. The authors of the report hope that these changes will lead to a more accurate and ethical study of human diversity. [Extracted from the article]

The objective of this research is to know the role that the Protomedicato played in public health in the viceroyalty of Peru. The methodology used was historical narration following the heuristic and hermeneutic method, using primary documentary sources from Peruvian and Spanish historical archives. The result obtained was to confirm that the Protomedicato looked after the health of the neighbors and that it had a judicial administrative nature and its main functions were to regularize the work of those who carried out any type of health care, granting licenses, setting tariffs and monitoring the work carried out in pharmacies and the quality of medicines, through periodic visits. The conclusion determines that there were health improvements as a consequence of the management of the Protomedicato in the viceroyalty of Peru, proposing health measures and even ordered the mobilization of medical personnel throughout the viceroyalty and participated in any consultation from other colonial entities, such as the council, referring to public health, such as elimination of ditches, declaration of pests, and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This book review discusses the importance of integrating a social determinants of health (SDOH) framework into nursing education. The authors emphasize that health is influenced by social, economic, and environmental factors, in addition to biological factors and individual behavior. The book explores how the SDOH framework can be integrated into the nursing curriculum, provides resources for nursing educators, and discusses the challenges and successes of this integration. It also highlights the relevance of SDOH in adult education and human resource development, and provides recommendations for incorporating SDOH into educational programs. Overall, this book is recommended for practitioners and scholars in the field of nursing education. [Extracted from the article]

The eradication of poliomyelitis is a landmark achievement in the history of public health, providing strong protection for children's health. The introduction of the Chinese Regulations for the Manufacture and Control of Live Poliovirus Vaccine is a prerequisite and safeguard for the large-scale production and use of domestically produced live poliovirus vaccines, serving as an indispensable component of vaccine safety. This article, based on archival documents, letters, collections of essays, and oral interviews, examines the historical experience of the development of Chinese Regulations for the Manufacture and Control of Live Poliovirus Vaccine. It contends that the emphasis on localization and the active engagement in international cooperation are critical factors in the swift introduction of Chinese Regulations for the Manufacture and Control of Live Poliovirus Vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Aim: The period after the First World War was very challenging for countries across the whole of Europe. The health condition and health literacy of inhabitants in the First Czechoslovak Republic were poor. Design: Historical research. Methods: Direct, indirect, and progressive methods were chosen to describe community care and public health care. Archival sources were found in selected archives in the Czech and Slovak republics. Results: It is evident that many changes related to preventing infectious and non-infectious diseases. Ethnic and socioeconomic diversity was a factor that influenced the health condition and knowledge of the population, and the success of preventive measures. Therefore, the involvement of professional and voluntary organizations, and government institutions was essential. Public health care arose from the idea that a healthy population was the basis of the newly-formed republic. Conclusion: The literature and archival sources discovered show the importance of the health condition of the population to the newly-formed Czechoslovak state. To improve the health condition of the population, interventions were realized in cooperation with various organizations. Concurrently, there was an appreciable effort to enhance the health literacy of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"The Spirit of Global Health" is a book that explores the history of the World Health Organization's (WHO) engagement with the concept of spirituality in global health. The authors trace this history chronologically, from early debates over the inclusion of a spiritual dimension in health to more recent initiatives addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. The book highlights the ongoing debate and politicization surrounding spirituality in health and healthcare, emphasizing that it is a political decision. While the authors advocate for the inclusion of spirituality in global health, they also acknowledge the uncertainty and unease within the WHO about the direction of this initiative. The book is commended for its thorough documentation of the WHO's engagement with spirituality, but it is noted that it does not extensively reference the existing literature on religion and public health. Overall, "The Spirit of Global Health" is recommended for those interested in the intersection of medicine, religion, and global governance. [Extracted from the article]

This very short introduction to the bibliography of modern epidemiology aims to achieve two modest goals. First, the works presented will be separated into two bodies of historical scholarship, to distinguish the history of the field as told by epidemiological practitioners from the work developed in the history of science, medicine, and public health. Second, this essay focuses on a modern history of epidemiology spanning the later nineteenth and twentieth century. These distinctions aim to capture the contours of the history of epidemiology as it became a field of knowledge production and to some extent an academic discipline, a history told in part by those involved in the field themselves. The enclosed bibliography further distinguishes between geographic contributions to this historiography to capture the historical distribution of the scientific field and its associated histories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Faculty in nursing and history at Creighton University directed two service-learning courses on the history and public health implications of lead (Pb) exposure in Omaha, NE. As part of their service requirements, students conducted or observed blood lead screenings in area schools and reflected on these shared experiences in discipline-specific coursework. Strong student response encouraged the faculty to enrich transdisciplinary teaching and learning between these two courses. Although studies supply numerous best practices to develop collaborative experiences and service-oriented pedagogies, little work focuses on enriching collaborations between preexisting courses. Purpose: This study examines the outcomes of a partnership between nursing and history and presents a practical model that instructors can use to foster and deepen transdisciplinary service-learning. Methodology: Employing a hybrid grounded theory/topic modeling analysis of student reflection papers, we identify course outcomes of closest convergence. Findings/Conclusions: We argue that instructors can deepen transdisciplinary partnerships between service-learning courses by focusing on a common exemplar, encouraging collaborative experiences in the classroom and at service sites, and employing civic health as a shared concept in curricula. Implications: Beyond nursing and history, our model may be employed by faculty in preexisting service-learning courses to bring their courses into transdisciplinary convergence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accumulated knowledge of nuclear weapons' anticipated damage shows that nuclear disarmament is the only rational option for the survival of the human species. Through education and advocacy for nuclear disarmament, health professionals can play a critical role in denying the mindset that justifies the existence of nuclear weapons. Health professionals' perspectives on nuclear weapons Nuclear weapons have been accepted in the realm of international security. [Extracted from the article]

This paper situates a ten-year period of political upheaval in addressing the problem of Single Room Occupancy (SRO) housing in Vancouver, Canada, within an epistemic transformation of public health. Until 1970, the Vancouver Health Department exemplified a colonial history of public health in establishing the city's skid road as a cordon sanitaire. But the 1970s saw a sudden fading of the Department's authority just as a more collaborative approach to housing policy was emerging. The sunsetting of sanitary enforcement was driven in part by the arrival of a "new public health" that became primarily concerned with defining public health problems and solutions through the regulation of racialized bodies and behaviors—a cordon thérapeutique. By the 1980s, this shift constituted an epistemic and regulatory abandonment of SRO housing, leading to the accelerated deterioration of the entire housing stock and costing incalculable human suffering and the loss of lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this research was to examine U.S.-based librarians' history of training on public health topics and their comfort delivering adolescent-focused public health interventions. A total of 269 library staff from 37 states completed a brief online survey. Eighty-four percent of respondents stated that their library had hosted public health programs for youth ages 10–17. Eighty-five percent reported they would be interested or very interested in facilitating an intervention focused on youth (ages 10–17). Ninety-eight percent of participants reported receiving training on at least one public health topic. The most common trainings reported were related to infectious diseases, including COVID (82.9%) and adolescent health and development (78.4%). Most participants were comfortable discussing public health topics, such as sexual and reproductive health (83.6%), adolescent health and development (82.5%), substance use (81.4%), and infectious diseases (81%). Having learned about the topic on their own and having had experience related to the topic were the most common reasons stated for feeling comfortable discussing public health topics with youth. These findings suggest that librarians are interested in and comfortable enough to serve as resources for health promotion among adolescents when adequately trained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several recent papers have suggested that the pro-life view entails a radical, implausible thesis: that miscarriage is the biggest public health crisis in the history of our species and requires radical diversion of funds to combat. In this paper, I clarify the extent of the problem, showing that the number of miscarriages about which we can do anything morally significant is plausibly much lower than previously thought, then describing some of the work already being done on this topic. I then briefly survey a range of reasons why abortion might be thought more serious and more worthy of prevention than miscarriage. Finally, I lay out my central argument: that reflection on the wrongness of killing reveals that the norms for ending life and failing to save life are different, in such a way that could justify the prioritization of anti-abortion advocacy over anti-miscarriage efforts. Such an account can also respond to similar problems posed to the pro-lifer, such as the question of whom to save in a "burning lab" type scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gunnar Inghe (1910–1977) was a founding father of Scandinavian social medicine and the first editor of the Scandinavian Journal of Social Medicine. He worked as a physician for social care clients in Stockholm from 1944 to 1961 and was professor in social medicine from 1961 to 1975. We (F.D. and U.J.) were his last two PhD students. As we were recollecting the 50-year history of the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health in 2022, it became evident to us how relevant Gunnar Inghe's work, 45 years after his death, still is for today's social medicine, population health research and policy in Scandinavia. We shall explain why with five examples of Inghe's work: reproductive health, health of paupers, foundation of the discipline, international solidarity and collaboration between medical and social care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic disease pandemics have challenged societies and public health throughout history and remain ever-present. Despite increased knowledge, awareness and advancements in medicine, technology, and global initiatives the state of global health is declining. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has compounded the current perilous state of global health, and the long-term impact is yet to be realised. A coordinated global infrastructure could add substantial benefits to public health and yield prominent and consistent policy resulting in impactful change. To achieve global impact, research priorities that address multi-disciplinary social, environmental, and clinical must be supported by unified approaches that maximise public health. We present a call to action for established public health organisations and governments globally to consider the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic and unite with true collaborative efforts to address current, longstanding, and growing challenges to public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial pathogens have always been a part of the ecosystem in which we thrive. Some pathogens have caused deadly outbreaks in the past and have been exploited as an agent of threat. Natural hotspots for these biological pathogens are widely distributed throughout the world and hence they remain clinically important. Technological advancement and change in general lifestyle has driven the evolution of these pathogens into more virulent and resistant variants. There has been a growing concern over the development of multidrug-resistant bacterial strains that could be used as bioweapons. This rapid change in pathogens also propels the field of science to develop and innovate new strategies and methodologies which are superior and safer to the existing ones. Some bacterial agents like—Bacillus anthracis, Yersinia pestis, Francisella tularensis and toxins produced by strains of Clostridium botulinum, have been segregated as Category A substances as they pose imminent threat to public health with a history of life threatening and catastrophic disease. This review highlights some encouraging developments and value additions in the current plan of action for protection against these select biothreat bacterial pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses that all medical professional societies should take swift and definitive action to reschedule meetings and to avoid planning future meetings in jurisdictions where local governments have enacted legislation that limits access to health care. Boycotting these locations is a form of advocacy for legislative reform and fulfills the core missions of our societies, including the commitment to memberships and excellence in clinical care.

Foucault's argument that a major break occurred in the nature of power in the European Eighteenth century—an unprecedented socialization of medicine and concern for the health of bodies and populations, the birth of biopolitics—has become since the 1990s a dominant narrative among sociologists but is rarely if ever scrutinized in its premises. This article problematizes Foucault's periodization about the politics of health and the way its story has been solidified into an uncritical account. Building on novel historiographic work, it challenges the modernist bias of histories of biopolitics and public health and considers an earlier and more plural history of collective practices of health of which the story told by Foucault is just one important episode. Finally, it discusses the implications of this revised model for wider sociological debates on the link between modernity, health and the body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite unprecedented socio-economic growth experienced by Indians in the past few decades, and a long history of anti-anaemia public health measures, prevalence of anaemia in Indian non-pregnant women of reproductive age group (NPWRA) has not declined. This warrants a firm understanding of what explains the anaemia situation over time, preferably by sub-populations. Therefore, we aimed to examine the trends of anaemia in tribal NPWRA (least privileged) and compare with the trends in the NPWRA of general caste (most privileged) between 1998 to 2021. Additionally, the study also explored explanation of any decline and tribal/general narrowing of these trends. Methods: We studied four rounds of National Family Health Survey (1998–99, 2005–06, 2015–16, 2019–21). We examined the trend of anaemia (haemoglobin < 12 g/dl) and its possible determinants in tribal and general NPWRA and estimated the portion of "decline" and "narrowing" that could be explained by the underlying and intermediate determinants (wealth, education, residence, parity and food security) using multiple logistic regression. Results: The distribution of determinants improved over 23 years in both the groups but more in tribals. But anaemia either remained unchanged or increased in both except 7.1 points decline in tribals between 2006–2016, leading also to 7 points narrowing of tribal/general gap. The modest attenuation of beta coefficients representing the change of anaemia prevalence (log of odds) in tribals from -0.314(-0.377, -0.251) to -0.242(-0.308, -0.176) after adjustment with determinants could explain only 23% of the decline. Similarly, only 7% of the narrowing of the tribal/general anaemia gap could be explained. Conclusions: The structural determinants wealth, education, food security, parity and urban amenities improved immensely in India but anaemia did not decline in this 23-year period. This implies that the "usual suspects" – the structural determinants are not the main drivers of anaemia in the country. The main driver may be absolute and/or functional deficiency status of micronutrients including iron attributable to inadequate uptake and absorption of these elements from Indian diets; and therefore, their effects are noticeable in every socio-economic stratum of India. Future research for aetiologies and new interventions for anaemia alleviation in India may focus on these factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The history, policies and practice of drug control in Asia have been historically multifaceted, particularly concerning substances like opium, cannabis, and various indigenous psychoactive plants. The opium trade, notably in the 19th and early 20th centuries, significantly impacted Asian societies, triggering conflicts, influencing international relations, and altering the socio-economic fabric. Yet, the history of drug control across different parts of Asia reflects a complex interplay of factors and a stark regional diversity. This special issue serves as a platform for interdisciplinary studies that link Asian drug trafficking with collaborative legal responses across the region. The primary objective is to compile an overview of the history, current practices, and policies addressing drug production, trafficking, and usage in a continent that houses 60% of the global population. This is done by sampling articles that encompass the large geographical scope of Asia, from Northeast Asia to the Middle East. The special issue focuses on three key dimensions of drug control that affect Asian countries: Historical landmarks, including milestones of drug control policy developments at the national level, which shaped the international regime over the last two centuries; public health and history of local responses with the analysis of the burden of infectious diseases, and the state of access to controlled essential medicines; and, criminal justice and historical landmarks of its development through legal responses and punishments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to show that histories of how past crises were managed can help us anticipate how today's public health challenges will permanently change the workplace and at least some aspects of management practice. Design/methodology/approach: This paper reviews prominent public health histories and leadership responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors interpret these accounts of past crises to anticipate the long-lasting effects of the COVID pandemic. This also can be seen as a case study of how public health crises are managed and the effects of that management. Findings: It is likely that several changes will come to the workplace, similar to transformations that happened after past pandemics. Technologies incorporating virtuality will see adoption accelerated. Health behaviors may change, especially in certain cultures or industries. The psychological contract between employees and management may increasingly emphasize autonomy as a prized attribute, again in some cultures more than others. Originality/value: In looking at past pandemics and public health crises, and the way leaders reacted, one can learn about the potential for current health- and conflict-related events to unfold and alter workplace practices and norms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the political economy of epidemic disease. First, it outlines the incentive and information problems facing policymakers in responding to a new epidemic. Second, it considers the existence of a tradeoff between public health and freedom. Informed by a survey of the history of public health and an analysis of the response to Covid-19, it presents evidence that such a tradeoff can obtain in the short run but that, in the long run, the negative relationship is reversed and the trade-off disappears. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In The Pox of Liberty, Werner Troesken details the tradeoff between liberal institutions and communicable disease. According to Troesken, individual freedom presents a danger to the public health in the face of infectious disease, while constitutional constraints restrict the government's ability to implement effective policy. Contra Troesken, I argue that decision-makers, amidst a crisis of contagion, neglect intertemporal tradeoffs, thereby discounting long run costs while favoring short run policies. These policies, once implemented, are difficult to reverse due to the path dependent nature of political institutions. Irreversible and self-reinforcing growth in political institutions established to enhance health can have an unintended negative impact on health during future crises, where political agents must operate in a more cumbersome and error-prone institutional environment. Using events from the history of public health in the U.S. as support for my theory, I conclude that Troesken's alleged tradeoff ought to be met with greater skepticism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumers' response to mass media can be difficult to assess because individuals choose for themselves the amount of media they consume, and that choice may be correlated with their other consumption decisions. To avoid this selection problem, this article examines the introduction of television to the US, during which some cities gained access to television years before others. This natural experiment makes it possible to estimate the causal impact of television on the decision to start smoking, a consumer behavior with important public health implications. Difference-in-differences analyses of television's introduction indicate that (1) television did cause people to start smoking, (2) 16- to 21-year-olds were particularly affected by television, and (3) much of the response to television occurred within a couple of years of its introduction. Our preferred estimates suggest that television increased the share of smokers in the population by 5–15 percentage points, generating roughly 11 million additional smokers between 1946 and 1970. More broadly, these results offer causal evidence that (1) mass media can have a large influence on consumers, potentially affecting their health, (2) media exerts an especially strong influence on teens, and (3) mass media can influence consumers more than typical changes in prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the impact of misinformation on public health, using historical examples such as smallpox, cholera, the 1918 influenza, and HIV. It highlights how sociopolitical issues, delay in scientific consensus, and rapid media flow can lead to the integration of public health misinformation with significant consequences. The article also focuses on the current issue of measles cases reaching staggering levels globally, attributing it to misinformation surrounding the MMR vaccine. It emphasizes the need for transparency, trust, and community engagement to combat public health misinformation, including enhancing science communication approaches, promoting open science, and engaging community-based organizations and local leaders. [Extracted from the article]

"Guarding the Golden Gate: A History of the U.S. Quarantine Station in San Francisco Bay" by J. Gordon Frierson is a comprehensive and well-researched account of the quarantine station on Angel Island from 1882 to 1942. The book explores the economic and political contexts surrounding diseases such as cholera, smallpox, and bubonic plague, and how they shaped public health and medicine. It also delves into the personal and political struggles of those who worked or were detained on Angel Island, highlighting the racial discrimination and hardships they faced. While the book could have further engaged with recent scholarship on medical racism and anti-Chinese sentiment, it offers valuable insights into the origins of modern public health in the US and the social meaning of infectious diseases. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the progress made towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030, as pledged by world leaders in 2015. While significant strides have been made in terms of initiating HIV-positive individuals on antiretroviral medication and reducing AIDS-related deaths, perinatal transmissions, and new acquisitions, challenges remain in ending new acquisitions and eliminating stigma and discrimination. The COVID-19 pandemic has further complicated efforts to achieve these goals. The article emphasizes the need for renewed political commitment, innovative approaches, collaboration, and sustained funding beyond 2030. It also highlights the importance of research for a vaccine and a cure, as well as the development of new antiretroviral drugs and prevention methods. The article acknowledges the achievements of universal access to treatment and prevention of vertical transmission but emphasizes the need to reach pregnant women who do not use prenatal health services. Community involvement, reducing stigma and discrimination, and addressing social determinants of health are also crucial. The article concludes by expressing hope that with unwavering effort, political commitment, and global solidarity, the goals of zero new acquisitions, zero AIDS-related deaths, and zero stigma and discrimination can still be achieved within this decade. [Extracted from the article]

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) represents one of the greatest challenges to public health in modern history. As the disease continues to spread globally, medical and allied healthcare professionals have become one of the most affected sectors. Stress and anxiety are indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it is paramount to understand and categorize their perceived levels of stress, as it can be a detonating factor leading to mental illness. Here, we propose a computer-based method to better understand stress in healthcare workers facing COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic. We based our study on a representative sample of healthcare professionals attending to COVID-19 patients in the northeast region of Mexico, at the beginning of the pandemic. We used a machine learning classification algorithm to obtain a visualization model to analyze perceived stress. The C5.0 decision tree algorithm was used to study datasets. We carried out an initial preprocessing statistical analysis for a group of 101 participants. We performed chi-square tests for all questions, individually, in order to validate stress level calculation (p < 0.05) and a calculated Cronbach's alpha of 0.94 and McDonald's omega of 0.95, demonstrating good internal consistency in the dataset. The obtained model failed to classify only 6 out of the 101, missing two cases for mild, three for moderate and one for severe (accuracy of 94.1%). We performed statistical correlation analysis to ensure integrity of the method. In addition, based on the decision tree model, we concluded that severe stress cases can be related mostly to high levels of xenophobia and compulsive stress. Thus, showing that applied machine learning algorithms represent valuable tools in the assessment of perceived stress, which can potentially be adapted to other areas of the medical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the establishment of the modern prison system in the early nineteenth century, prisons and prisoners have been construed as sites of moral, social, and biological contagion. Historic and contemporary studies show that most prisoners experience severe health inequalities, higher rates of addiction and mental health issues, and lower life expectancy than the rest of the population. They also come from deprived social strata. Yet, these aspects of Irish penal history have been largely neglected in academia and popular histories. Our article discusses two public history projects—an art installation, The Trial, and a museum exhibition, Living Inside—that engaged different publics with the long history of health and welfare in Irish prisons. Developed by the research team on the Wellcome Trust Investigator Award "Prisoners, Medical Care and Entitlement to Health in England and Ireland, 1850-2000," based at University College Dublin, the projects adopted different methodologies to engage their audiences and explore the experience and management of health and welfare in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Irish prisons. We further examine the different methodological approaches of each project, their varied aims and audiences, and the impacts reported by audiences and participants. The article also considers some of the challenges of doing this kind of public history, both in terms of working with marginalized communities and presenting research about difficult subjects to various audiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immunity (or vaccine) passport of the coronavirus pandemic, as a concept and object, is not unprecedented. This health and identity document features a history spanning over half-a-millennium and appearing across diverse geopolitical and sociocultural contexts. This article presents a documentary history of the immunity passport and its heterogeneous material instantiations, uses and effects across divergent historical settings. It illuminates how the immunity passport has helped shaped identities and public health, as well as impacted individual and institutional agency, during health crises. Four historical cases are explored, including the plagues ravaging the Renaissance Mediterranean region, the 1665 Great Plague of London, the yellow fever outbreaks in the antebellum slave-era southern USA and the chronic cholera conditions confronting colonial-era British India. Although disparate, these historical cases share the immunity passport as a non-pharmaceutical intervention into their respective health crises that played important roles in people's lives during these troubled times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the history of the quarantine system established at the naval border of the Romanian Principalities (Wallachia and Moldavia) between 1830 and 1859. We survey both the state's ability to organise defences against contagious diseases and the society's reaction to strict quarantine rules. In the end, we show that the Danube quarantine was not only a means of combating contagious diseases but also an instrument of pressure, surveillance and state regulation. To reconstruct an image of that period, we used information from five categories of sources: archive documents, health legislation, the press of the time, memoirs and diplomatic reports. By bringing the Romanian quarantine experience to the foreground, this study broadens both the perspective on quarantines and modernisation in the Romanian Principalities and also the knowledge regarding the free movement, politics and economy at the Danube border of the Ottoman Empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]