Medicine

Paocasss in public health teaching in America during the last 10 years is reviewed by the authors. Only four schools state their objectives and of these only one makes a statement that is satisfactory in the opinion of the authors. The objective of this school is to provide education and training of personnel for public health work and administration in the several fields of public health. Students should be offered new knowledge and assisted to acquire new skills that would aid them in techniques of programme planning, problem analysis, and decision making in the fields of public health in which they are concerned. In 1964 only 63'4% of students applying were admitted to schools of public health in America. Any faUing to meet fairly high academic standards were rejected or accepted only as special students. The authors consider that in addition to academic qualifications more consideration should be given to applicants who have shown practical abUity in actual public health practice. The contents of each course of study should be clearly delineated and in addition to traditional public health subjects courses should include subjects deaiing with future public health needs such as economics, programme planning, and the social sciences. Teaching methods should provide for more student participation and field experience should be combined with academic studies to .complement classroom instruction. Schools of public heaith should accept joint responsibUity with health departments for providing short-term "refresher" courses in public health subjects. Finally the authors consider that there should be continuous liaison between health departments and schools of public health because growth and development of state and local health authorities will depend largely on the knowledge, skills and attitudes of their professional omcers; they also suggest that graduate and post-graduate education should vary with the existing problems of disease prevention and maintenance of good health.