Includes bibliographical references and index.

Public health : science, politics, and prevention -- Why is public health controversial? -- Powers and responsibilities of government -- Epidemiology : the basic science of public health -- Epidemiologic principles and methods -- Problems and limits of epidemiology -- Statistics : making sense of uncertainty -- The role of data in public health -- The "conquest" of infectious diseases -- The resurgence of infectious diseases -- The biomedical basis of chronic diseases -- Genetic diseases and other inborn errors -- Do people choose their own health? -- How psychosocial factors affect health behavior -- Public health enemy number one : tobacco -- Public health enemy number two--and growing : poor diet and physical inactivity -- Injuries are not accidents -- Maternal and child health as a social problem -- Mental health : public health includes healthy minds -- A clean environment : the basis of public health -- Clean air : is it safe to breathe? -- Clean water : a limited resource -- Solid and hazardous wastes : what to do with the garbage? -- Safe food and drugs : an ongoing regulatory battle -- Population : the ultimate environmental health issue -- Is the medical care system a public health issue? -- Why the U.S. medical system needs reform -- Health services research : finding what works -- Public health and the aging population -- Emergency preparedness, post-9/11 -- Public health in the twenty-first century : achievements and challenges.