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A History of Public Health: From Past to Present uses a structured format to study public health from antiquity to the present time. After a brief introduction, this concise text illuminates defining moments in public health history through stories that illustrate people, principles, and challenges. These are followed by a discussion of history’s relevance to contemporary practice. Suggestions for additional study, discussion questions, and references complete each chapter. History gives us a sense of perspective and of proportion. Looking at public health over decades and centuries, we see health issues in a longer context. Students, health care workers, public health professionals, researchers, teachers, advocates, policymakers, and citizens are all needed to improve public health. Public health’s history is relevant to our complex, challenging, enduring, and global issues today. Knowledge of our past will help us in the present and prepare us for the future.