As is often the case with a book of this nature, the title is misleading. It is not primarily a treatise on the state of the health of our republic or a study of epidemics peculiar to our country, so much as it is concerned with the inadequacy of the medical care available to much of our nation and a presentation for restructuring our health care policies and priorities.
From the very brief biographical sketch on the book's cover, we are aware that the author is an academic person, serving as professor of health policy and administration in the School of Public Health at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. It is further noted that he is on leave to the New York State Department of Public Health, but no mention is made of the capacity of consultation.
With a previously published work on alcoholism to his credit, the