From Hippocrates to Hallé: a history of public health from antiquity to the French Revolution.

Abstract

This thesis follows the course of public health from the time of Hippocrates (c 460 BCE – c 370 BCE) to Jean Noël Hallé (1754-1822) who was appointed to the first Chair of Public Hygiene in Paris in 1794. It puts forward suggestions as to what led to the creation of this position and why Hallé was a suitable man to occupy it. Using Hippocrates’ On Airs, Waters and Places as a starting point, it outlines the changes in attitudes and practices in public health with particular reference to the influence of scientific knowledge. The thesis also describes the change from public health being the responsibility of the individual to a more collective approach.