Public health and its historical aspects
“You do not have to treat the one who is already sick, it is better to instruct him so that he does not get sick, managing medicines for developed diseases, it is like starting to dig a place when he is thirsty or starting to distribute weapons when he is already committed to battle"
Emperor Huang Ti, 2697-2597 A.C.
Through the different historical epochs a concept has been handled and giving importance to that great aspect so essential in life called health. For WHO, health is defined as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well -being, and not only the absence of conditions or diseases” concept given in 1947. Now, for the ancient mosaic law in the Hebrew people (1.700 a.C.) It was said that health was a state of equality between the environment, water, food, population and body well -being, not very distant definition of the concept that the indigenous population has throughout the world, “health is a cosmic balance between man between man, Mother Earth, its nature and respect for customs ”(Modern Age- Indigenous Cosmovision).
Already defined the concept of health, it must be understood that despite the different historical dates, its meaning goes in the same line regardless of its time and has never been less important. This simplifies the panorama to address the main theme of history, public health and its historical aspects and this is defined as the “set of actions of public and private organizations and society that guarantee the well -being of the population".
Public health today is a very controversial issue having as fundamental pillars the promotion of health, disease and education prevention. Pillars necessary to reach an optimal state of health and be healthy. As the main objective to improve and maximize the health of the population, health and health health of the community;Terms very appointed in medieval old texts, European revolutions and world wars.
The historical aspects with respect to public health are very important to have a clarity that humanity has always been studying the different possibilities of improving the quality of life of the individual and collective community, taking as an example the different epidemiological studies that areThey carried out in the old age, statistical studies of morbidity in the Assyrian-Babylonian culture in 626 to.C., Galen’s work entitled "Hygiene" in 129 to.C. and thousands of more events.
There were also several contributions that changed the way of living of the human being, the provisions of good quality water, which brings us to the present to think of drinking water and was ordered by the Sultan Ahmed in the ancient Egypt of the ninth centuryAnd it is one of the basic needs of being today. Religion has been one of the most influential aspects throughout history in any field, whether work, industrial, scientific and clearly with respect to health there should be no difference. Relarying the theme, the Church took the concept of spreading the book of Leviticus, of the Old Testament and assumed the task of combating leprosy thus using the isolation measures that are clinically fundamental in our era.
The abrupt growth of scientific aspects throughout the twentieth century accompanied by the great leap that technology has made made progress not only in health but also in everything related to the world. However, there are still problems regarding poverty and abundance;The lack of equity, political support, poor expense of goods and resources, makes everything look bad and complicated. Environmental risk patterns have changed from the ancient era to the current age;Climate differentiation, geological changes, environmental damage caused by man and the population is much more complicated by public health task.
In spite of all the difficulties that are today also, speaking of the 21st century, the evolution of public health must be enhanced as described in this essay, the learning that the story brings, all the stages and the findings foundIn ancient eras, findings that today give us privileges as human beings.
Current society is scandalized and deliberate about health and much more with respect to public health, they demand 100% care when they do not dimension everything that has happened through centuries and centuries to be able to have what we have today. The current public health system unlike two centuries ago, has increased by 60%;Nowadays you can praise “health for all with quality and efficiency, sustainable by all” pact that is for future generations.
Speaking a little of Colombia, comparing what today exists to what had been 50 years ago, traceability and percentiles based on preventive medicine are giantly satisfactory. Public health in Colombia is one of the best in Latin America, there is certainly not a health model comparable to Norway or Switzerland, but despite all the inconveniences, it is functional although imperfect and of course, much is still much to look for and learn and learnfrom past times and reform them to strengthen and improve the regional system.
There are still many questions to answer, what will happen in future generations? The conditions of those that still belong to the population called "poor", will change? What other measures will incorporate world governments to correct and improve health prevention and promotion? Why don’t measures that existed to improve public health resume?, There are infinities of questions to answer and the world’s clock continues to run and it will not stop.
This is how we must understand that public health goes beyond a simple concept and a resolution of a current difficulty. There is a story, anecdotes, texts that helped, help and help health progress in all aspects of being.
"Health is not everything but without health we have nothing" (Schopenhauer)
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