Annual Review of Public Health

The second series, the Annual Review of Public Health, is published by Annual Review Inc. of Palo Alto, California.It began in 1932 with the publication of the Annual Review of Biochemistry and now has 27 different subject titles.The Annual Review of Public Health is in its 10th year.Like many of this style of publication, it succeeds as much by the skill of the commissioning committee in choosing the subjects (there are 21 this year), as by the quality of the individual reviews.At the end of each volume is a cumulative chapter index of subjects and it is possible to compare the emphasis of the 10th edition with the previous 9.There is a slightly greater emphasis on health services research, health policy and evaluation (6 chapters) and behavioural science (4) and the usual proportion of chapters on epidemiology and biostatistics (5), environmental and occupational health (4) and disease epidemiology (2).The chapters ofthe 10th edition, although topical, form a strange mixture.They are, nevertheless, highly relevant to the public health problems in the United Kingdom.Even chapters dealing with underinsurance and the effect ofthe Medicare Prospective Payment System are of direct relevance following the British Governments' White Paper.Each chapter brings a critical review by an experienced academic of a body of relevant literature.With nearly 2000 references in all, each report can claim with some justification to represent the 'state of the art'.What is remarkable about the series and that of the Epidemiological Review is the demonstration of the breadth and depth of academic public health in the United States.Since the Acheson Report in 1988, Schools of Public Health are becoming fashionable within the United Kingdom.They bring with them the opportunity to create a critical mass of public health academics and practi- tioners from many different disciplines.Perhaps it might be possible to envisage a review series from the United Kingdom in another ten years.