Zentralbl Hyg Umweltmed. 1995 Apr;197(1):111-33.
Zentralblatt fur Hygiene und Umweltmedizin = International journal of hygiene and environmental medicine
[Article in German] A Labisch
PMID: 8579704
"The City and Health" - this title joints two all-encompassing words. The city is the birthplace of modern civilization. Today, we are confronted with huge urban agglomarations--beyond our grasp and nearly out of control. Are we dealing with transitory phenomena, such as the filthy and inhuman cities of the early industrial era seem from the historical point of view? This is our hope. Here inevitably, we strike upon the term "Health". For in the endeavor to create in a city first permanent and then "proper" conditions and finally to achieve proper behaviour, health became a central term. Today, to be healthy is our most heartfelt desire. Still, we do nor know what health is. The theme "City and Health" is therefore significant, historically as well as at present. So a brief historical survey will illustrate a few elements characteristic of the interrelationship of health and the city from the civilizational point of view ( = 1.). To determine the historical point of our inquiry, we will then outline the recent discussion on urban history ( = 2.). Upon this ground, we shall discuss cities as a special expression of community, the sciences of health as a special type of medicine, and the modern industrial living conditions with regard to the recent socio-historical and medico-historical literature published since 1980 ( = 3.).
