Public Health Law

This volume offers the first systematic definition and theory of public health law. Basing the author's definition on a broad notion of the government's inherent responsibility to advance the population's health and well-being, he develops a rich understanding of the government's fundamental powers and duties. By analysing constitutional powers and limits, as well as statutory, administrative, and tort law, this book shows how law can become a potent tool for the realisation of a healthier and safer population.;The author demonstrates that while regulation achieves a powerful public good, it often does so at the expense of private rights. Consequently, in thinking about public health regulation, he welfare on the one hand and the personal burdens and economic interests of individuals and businesses on the other.;The book creates an intellectual framework for the field of public health - as distinct from related fields that centre on personal health care delivery and regulation - and supports that framework with rich material illustrating the intellectual, scientific, political and ethical issues involved. It provides the basis for cross-disciplinary exchange between law and the var