In every American city visited by me I have been struck with the earnest desire of voluntary and official public health and social workers to profit by English experience, to adopt what is good, to secure the abolition of the short tenure of office of competent officers under the present political system, and to introduce civil service conditions for them. There is in many respects a close parallelism between the course of public health on both sides of the Atlantic; in some cities the English hygienist has much to learn in respect of advanced and original work; and in other American cities in which “political pull” continues, there is evidence of the development of a wider interest and a more general sense of communal responsibility; a deeper trend of thought which will make for steadily increasing efficiency in public health work. As this volume discusses public health problems especially from a social viewpoint, it is my earnest hope that it may be useful in this direction. ARTHUR NEWSHOLME SCHOOL OF HYGIENE AND PUBLIC HEALTH, JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, BALTIMORE, AND ATHENAEUM CLUB, LONDON, May, 1920 CONTENTS LECTURE I PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRESS IN ENGLAND DURING THE LAST FIFTY YEARS 1-41 Parallelism of Events in Old and New England. The Utilization of Lay Workers in Public Health Work. The Influence of Urbanization and Industrialism. _Laissez faire_ Economic Teaching. Man and his Environment. Dirt and Disease. Cholera, Typhoid Fever, Typhus Fever. Summary of Results in Life-Saving. Specific Causation of Disease. Importance and Present Limitations of Epidemiology. The Importance of Vital Statistics. Conditions of Medical Practice Bearing on Public Health. Poor-law _versus_ Public Health. Insurance _versus_ Public Health. A National Medical Service. Hospitals Important Housing Auxiliaries. The Need to Avoid Complacency. LECTURE II HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY IN ENGLAND 42-70 Town-Dwelling and Health Problems. The Scope of Public Health Work. Reform in the Control of Poverty. Reform in Industry. Public Health Reform. Education Authorities and Health. The _Ad Hoc_ Vice. Principles of Local Government. The Training and Tenure of Office of Medical Officers of Health. The National Insurance Act and Public Health. Provision for Sickness. General Summary. LECTURE III THE INCREASING SOCIALIZATION OF MEDICINE 71-102