Placing the public in public health: public health in Britain, 1948–2010

The place of public health is a critical issue for contemporary Britain. Whether it is appealing to individuals to stop smoking, or asking patients what they think of health services, the ‘public’ is constantly constructed and reconstructed within public health policy and practice. This project is historicising these concerns and explaining the changing place of public health within post-war Britain. Dr Mold is addressing: the meaning of the public within public health, who spoke on behalf of the public in public health, the role of the public within public health, and how responsible for public health the public was thought to be during this time.