Public health law

The law’s role in contributing to successful public health outcomes is undisputed. Some of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th and early 21st centuries illustrate just what an important role the law may play. The role of the law in achieving public health is the focus of this chapter. The mechanisms by which the law may contribute to public health are noted and its scope discussed. Tensions that arise in defining the field of ‘public health law’ and its proper scope are noted. Present and future directions of public health law in a globalised world are then examined with the aim of highlighting the evolving nature and understanding of the law and its essential role in achieving public health as population health issues and challenges themselves also change and evolve.