Public Health: What It is and How it Works, Bernard J. Turnock. Gaithersburg, MD: Aspen Publishers, Inc., 2001. 341 pages, $ 49.00.
Dr. Turnock, in his book, Public Health: What It is and How it Works, advocates the idea that although individuals work in the area of public health, they frequently do not understand the true use of public health principles. Within the text, a broader understanding for both current and future public health practitioners is set forth as the purpose. This text attempts to answer the questions of what, how, and why public health information is important. Dr. Turnock envisioned this information to be beneficial for public health practitioners and students. The design for the book emphasizes the comprehensibility of the rudimentary public health concerns as they relate to the functional world of practice. It does not aspire to be comprehensive.
The book contains eight chapters that are organized into two sections. The initial four chapters explore basic concepts and topics of interest to the audience. The final four chapters endeavor to strengthen the framework already introduced with the initial chapters. Within each chapter, appropriate subheadings are incorporated to assist with the locating of aspects included within the discussion. Multiple tables, figures, exhibits, and examples are interlaced throughout the chapters to support the material presented within the text. Discussion questions, exercises, and web sites with each chapter are valuable features that are present in this text. These features allow for the active participation of the readers of the text. The incorporation of the websites allows for the material to remain relevant since this material would be updated at different times.
The content and accuracy of the information presented are evident throughout the examination of the text. The information provided authenticates an infrastructure useful in the practice of public health. Dr. Turnock has incorporated an easy to read format for the majority of the text. Statistical demographics are infused at times, which results in dry sections of material. The book's strengths relate to the readability of the majority of the text, the effective use of examples and questions to facilitate active participation, and the incorporation of Healthy People 2010. The weaknesses identified are no objectives were given for each chapter and a prior foundation concerning the vocabulary of public health makes the reading much easier.
Dr. Turnock seems to have successfully fulfilled his goal for this book. The text provides a broad examination of the public health system. Within the writing of the material, the reader is able to become actively involved with the information via the use of the exercises and questions. The web sites are a benefit because the information presently used in health care is constantly changing. Web sites are one means of maintaining the currency of the material available to the reader. It provides the framework by which any disciple could expand their understanding and utilization of public health principles.