Excerpt from Images From the History of the Public Health Service: A Photographic Exhibit

The challenge of this exhibit was to capture through photographic images the rich texture of nearly 200 years of phs history, the sense of excitement and discovery as well as dedication to service and duty in safeguarding the nation's health that inspired those who served and continue to serve in the phs. We knew that our effort could not be comprehensive only selective of some of the highlights of phs history. We did not want an exhibit that was a mere chronology of events famous people, and bureaucratic reorganizations. We wanted to capture some of the dynamism and excitement of the phs which comes from its many missions and from the great variety of people who serve both in the Commissioned Corps and in the Civil Service. And so, we chose images which showed these people at work fulfilling their various missions.

To preserve the richness of the history of the Public Health Service, the specific names and functions of the organizations mentioned in the captions are those in use when the images were created, not necessarily those in use today.

Instead of an agency-by-agency approach, we chose six themes which describe in general the work of the phs and the eight major agencies which make it up. The first theme of Disease Control and Prevention is one of the oldest functions of the phs. Today it is primarily carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Biomedical Research is mainly the domain of the National Institutes of Health. Pure Foods and Drugs are assured by the Food and Drug Administration, Mental Health and Drug Abuse primarily the concern of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administra tion. Health Care Delivery is the major function of the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Agency for Health Care Policy, and the Indian Health Service. The sixth theme of International Health combines the function of a number of phs agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.

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