ABSTRACT
Since its inception, the discipline of public health has been distinguished by a concern for the environmental and social contexts of disease and the importance of behavior in disease control, as well as by leadership in using data-based approaches for the solution of health and community problems. These characteristics are explicated in the description of two major community health problems that have threatened special segments of the population, albeit nearly a century apart: child health at the turn of the century and the current AIDS epidemic. In both cases, the continuing public health focus on natural support systems and empowerment of clients is richly evident.
