Health, Civilization and the State examines the social, economic and political issues of public health provision in historical perspective. Focusing on Britain, Continental Europe and the United States, Dorothy Porter provides a comprehensive outline of the development of public health care from the ancient world to the modern state. Covering a broad range of historical issues, the book includes discussion of: pestilence, public order and morality in pre-modern times; the Enlightenment and its effects; health care centralization in Victorian Britain; localization of health care in the United States; population issues and family welfare; the rise of the classic welfare state; and current attitudes towards public health as we approach the twenty-first century.