The Analysis On Public Health Management In Shanghai International Concession, 1854-1910

During the late twenty years, the research on medical treatment from historical perspective is becoming a topic of general interest among Chinese historians. Such study trend started in Western historical circle in the 70s of 20th century, then spreading to Taiwan in 1980s. Under the influence of historians in Taiwan, we began to pay close attention to this research area in 1990s. The outbreak and spreading of SARS in 2003 aroused deep thoughts which led to a special attention on public health and infectious diseases. Under the circumstances, more and more historians are interested in the research on public health in Shanghai, which centralizes on infectious diseases and lacks systematic analysis on the formation of the public sanitary management in Shanghai.The dissertation, based on the study of The Minutes of Shanghai Municipal Council, makes a systematic analysis on the establishment and development of Western public sanitary management system in Shanghai International Concession in the latter period of Qing Dynasty, in order to offer some lessons that we can draw from when we build our contemporary national public sanitary management system.It consists of five chapters.In the first chapter, a brief summary is made on the development of Western public sanitary management, and on the present study situation related to this topic at home and abroad. In the mean time, a full explanation is given on study intention, study thinking, study materials and so on.The second chapter outlines the main part, discussing the establishment of the public sanitary management in Shanghai International Concession. It is divided into two parts, expounding the emergence of the public sanitary management authority and the development of the public sanitary management organization. On one hand, as the most important legal basis of Shanghai International Concession, Land Regulations empowers legal authority to the Municipal Council to manage the public sanitary matters. On the other hand, the public sanitary management organization has experienced three historical turnings, that is the establishment and development of Medical Officer, Sanitary Committee and Public Health Department, with nonprofessional employees to professional ones, therefore the public sanitary management is secured in good order. Based on this panoramic elaboration, the following two chapters give detailed account on two typical aspects of public sanitary management in Shanghai International Concession.The third chapter focuses on environmental sanitary management in Shanghai International Concession, analyzing how the Municipal Council use its legal authority totake sanitary measures in the process of handling nuisance on streets, building sewage system and water-supply system, in order to offer habitants a sound surrounding to live.The fourth chapter discusses the prevention and cure of infectious disease in Shanghai International Concession, showing when facing all kinds of infectious diseases that exist periodically or all the time in Shanghai International Concession, such as Rinderpest, Samllpox, Cholera, Venereal Disease, and so on, the Municipal Council takes active preventive and cure measures to prevent habitants from diseases.The fifth chapter gives a summary account of the whole dissertation, reviewing the trace of the establishment and development of the public sanitary management system in Shanghai International Concession, analyzing three challenges that the Municipal Council meets in this process and its reasons, describing the great influence public sanitary construction on the Chinese sections of Shanghai.