In contrast to histories of twentieth century public health that focus exclusively on the local, national, or international levels, 'Shifting Boundaries' explores the connections or 'zones of contact' between the three levels. The interpretive essays, written by distinguished historians of public health and medicine, focus on four topics: the oscillation between governmental and non-governmental (public) agencies as sites of responsibility for addressing public health problems; the harmonization of nation states' agendas with those of international agencies; the development by public health experts of knowledge that is both placeless and respectful of place; and the transportability of model solutions across borders. The volume breaks new ground in its treatment of public health as a political endeavor by highlighting strategies to prevent or alleviate disease as a matter not simply of medical techniques, but of political values and commitments. Contributors: Peter Baldwin, Iris Borowy, James A. Gillespie, Graham Mooney, Lion Murard, Dorothy Porter, Sabine Schleiermacher, Susan Gross Solomon, Paul Weindling, and Patrick Zylberman. Susan Gross Solomon is professor of political science at the University of Toronto. Lion Murard and Patrick Zylberman are both senior researchers at CERMES (Centre de Recherche Médecine, Sciences, Santé et Société), CNRS-EHESS-INSERM, Paris.

Combined with the thought-provoking introduction and the excellent quality of several papers, this makes the book a valuable contribution both to public health history, and to the history of shifting boundaries within other knowledge and policy fields.'

Erik Ingebrigtsen Source: Medical History