1. What was the French approach to public health that the French developed in the 1820s and 1830s? Compare it to the British and American approaches. How did attitudes towards commerce effect preventive strategies?
2. What was the role of government for the French hygienists? Was there more tension between expectations of the state and liberal political philosophy in France than in England?
3. Coleman states that Villermé, “like so many others dedicated to sociomedical investigation, might perhaps create a science but definitely would fail to transform society or even render its affairs more harmonious.” Discuss this statement. Why do you think this is?
4. Discuss why the contagion theory fell out of favor in the early 19th century.