• 1: Angus Dawson and Marcel Verweij: Introduction: Ethics, Prevention, and Public Health


• 2: Marcel Verweij and Angus Dawson: The Meaning of 'Public' in 'Public Health'


• 3: Bruce Jennings: Public Health and Civic Republicanism: Towards an Alternative Framework for Public Health Ethics


• 4: Lawrence O. Gostin and Lesley Stone: Health of the People: The Highest Law?


• 5: Daniel Wikler and Dan W. Brock: Population-level Bioethics: Mapping a New Agenda


• 6: Tom Sorell: Parental Choice and Expert Knowledge in the Debate about MMR and Autism


• 7: Dan W. Brock: Ethical Issues in Applying Quantitative Models for Setting Priorities in Prevention


• 8: Mariëtte van den Hoven: Reasonable Limits to Public Health Demands


• 9: Jay A. Jackson, Margaret P. Battin, Jeffrey R. Botkin, Leslie Francis, James Mason, and Charles B. Smith: Vertical Transmission of Infectious Diseases and Genetic Disorder: Are the Medical and Public Responses Consistent?


• 10: Angus Dawson: Herd Protection as a Public Good: Vaccination and Our Obligations to Others


• 11: Marcel Verweij: Tobacco Discouragement: A Non-paternalistic Approach


• 12: Niels Nijsingh: Informed Consent and the Expansion of Newborn Screening

In twelve original papers notable ethicists explore various issues raised by public health practice - an area that has received scant attention in published literature. They use the resources of ethical theory to illuminate important theoretical and practical topics, including the nature of public health, notions of community, population bioethics, the legitimate role of law, the use of cost-effectiveness as a methodology, screening, smoking policies, vaccinations, and the nature of infectious disease.