TY - JOUR T1 - The importance of the past in public health JF - Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health JO - J Epidemiol Community Health SP - 751 LP - 755 DO - 10.1136/jech.2003.014340 VL - 58 IS - 9 AU - Gabriel Scally AU - Justine Womack Y1 - 2004/09/01 UR - http://jech.bmj.com/content/58/9/751.abstract N2 - Study objective: To explore the role of history in public health and its relevance to current practice and professional development. Design: An analysis of the issues surrounding the poor attention paid to the history of public health by its current practitioners. Setting: The paper is written from the perspective of practitioners in the UK but has wide applicability. Main results: The paper makes the case that the current neglect of public health history is to the detriment of public health practice. Conclusions: There is a strong case for more attention to be paid to public health history in professional formation, development, and communication. ER -