Introduction : Cultural History of Medical Regulations

his issue is mainly focused on cultural and political changes in public health regulations since the end of the nineteenth century in several European countries. The most important task for historians, except of improving knowledge, is to analyse conditions in the past and to explain how and why they have changed, leading to the world we know today. One part consists of verifying the facts and events as precisely as possible. Another part is to analyse the situation and the factors responsible for evolution and changes. This is linked to general questions asked within social sciences, and to how historians use theoretical and methodological tools developed by other scientific disciplines. The set of articles presented here provide a wide range of examples of the historians’ practices today and of the current state of research. As far as medical and public health history is concerned, the medical profession, the states, public institutions, and the population are traditionally seen as the main actors. But since the end of the nineteenth century, biochemical and pharmaceutical companies, media and international institutions have been more and more present. T