Updating Public Health Laws.

• Author: Hooker, Tracey
• Position: Review

Public Health Law: Power, Duty, Restraint by Lawrence O. Gostin, University of California Press, 2000. 517 pages, $60.00, hardcover; $24.95, paperback.

Public health laws have served our nation well, helping to control scourges like smallpox, cholera and the plague. But now they are some of the oldest laws on the books. And many statutes, like the use of the common cup at water sources or spitting in public places, are no longer enforced. Some laws open states to legal challenges because they infringe on individual rights in a way not tolerable to modern society that requires tighter scrutiny and protections for disabilities. Others still hold true, but there are multiple layers of them. They can create confusion for health officers in applying their powers to thwart emerging health threats.

These golden oldies need to come into the cell phone century.

If you read Public Health Law: Power, Duty and Restraint by Lawrence O. Gostin you will know all there is to know about public health law--and the need for updating. The problem is getting from page 1 to page 328, and then through the 100 additional pages of notes. The print is small and there is a lot to know. But it is well-written and shows how law can be a powerful tool for a healthier and safer population.

For those with less time, if you just look at the pictures and charts, you can quickly get up to speed on the past and present of public health and its legal issues. There are nostalgic photos and posters showing how public health has changed (or not). One of the best: a poster advocating for clean bathrooms...