The History of Health Communication
A look back into how health information has been disseminated
Health communication through the years: From scurvy to family planning
Although the concept of health communication to improve public health only solidified recently, healthcare specialists have been utilizing the power of the pen to put their findings and research on paper since time immemorial. Hippocrates, the father of medicine, laid the foundation of our understanding of communicable diseases by writing about the link between human diseases and the environment in the 4th century BC. James Lind, a surgeon in the British Navy, reported his observations about mortality from scurvy among sailors in his publication, Treatise of the Scurvy (1753). Sir John Pringle, often referred to as the “father of military medicine”, wrote about improving sanitary conditions in army camps to reduce the risk of typhus and dysentery among soldiers.
Since these early examples of communicating medical research, public health gained attention as a separate field in the 1800s. With this, there came a need to extend the recipients of health information to a larger and more urban society. The health information that needed to be disseminated also greatly diversified. For example, Florence Nightingale organized training for nurses during the Crimean War. Margaret Sanger, the founder of the family planning movement in the United States (US), devoted her life to educating the public about birth control and safe sex in the 1920s.
The fundamental objectives of these pioneers’ work were to share knowledge and improve public health — objectives that even current health communication strategies aim to achieve.
However, since Hippocrates’ seminal written work, health communication has tremendously evolved in various aspects, from the kind of information disseminated to the target audiences. Before the 1800s, health information was largely esoteric and primarily reported in publications. But since then, dramatic advances in medical science, an openness to once-taboo health topics, and a shift from mere avoidance of disease to overall wellness played roles in shaping future health communication strategies. Taking the example of Margaret Sanger, she employed a variety of strategies to get the word out about contraception. These included publishing a series of articles, rolling out a short-lived magazine, and distributing pamphlets. Although these strategies may seem primitive in this digital age, they were key in reaching out to and educating a wider audience.
The printing press and internet revolution were instrumental in transforming health communication
The information ages were defined by two innovations — the printing press and the internet. Both of these revolutionized the field of communication because they transformed the way information could be delivered to the masses.
1. The printing press:
The mechanical printing press was invented around 1450 by Johannes Gutenberg. Before the printing press, medical texts were handwritten, only available in limited languages, and could not be distributed widely. But the printing press marked a turning point — medical texts could now be mass-printed in several languages, and could also reach many more people, representing a “democratization of knowledge”.
The rapid publishing of books at much lower costs meant that more could be sold, paving the way for the “bestseller”. Martin Luther, a German professor of theology and priest, is considered the “first bestselling author”. His pamphlets and books on Christianity were mass-produced and gave common people access to esoteric theological views.
The printing press also enabled the revival and wider dissemination of older medical texts. For example, Ibn Sina, a significant Persian polymath of the Islamic Golden Age, penned Canon of Medicine in the 11th century. But the printing press enabled its publication in several languages in the 15th century. Because of its wider dissemination, it became an important text for universities and remained a seminal piece of work in the medical field through the 17th century.
The easy access and wide distribution of the text also brewed some problems in medical practice. The author implied that surgery was inferior to prescribing medicinal cures. Given how influential the text was, progress in surgical techniques took a backseat during this period.
The printing press was instrumental in powering the scientific revolution. Scientific discovery was no longer a solitary pursuit — scientists could now share their findings and data by publishing them.
This helped in promoting the sharing of knowledge and more accurate findings.
Print media, such as newspapers, also dictated how health information was shaped and disseminated, and this was apparent during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918. As this was still during World War I, newspapers in several countries like England were censored to maintain public morale during the peak of the war.
But in Spain, which was not a combatant country in World War I, the uncensored press started reporting about a deadly flu and how it was emerging as a public health crisis in the country. The European press then started reporting on this mysterious flu in Spain, dubbing it the “Spanish Flu”. This was how the name of this flu originated, even though the true origin of the flu was and is still unknown.
2. Telecommunications and the internet
The 20th century ushered in another information revolution with the boom in telecommunications. The telephone, radio, and television started playing roles in health communication in this century. Physicians telephoned their patients’ heart sounds to other colleagues for second opinions. Toothpastes, food, and medicines were promoted via broadcast radio. Both radio and television also became integral in public health campaigns related to nutrition, drug abuse, HIV/AIDS prevention, and blood donation. But it was the internet that really shaped the information age we are in today.
The internet and digital communication tools have profoundly changed the way people access and consume health-related information. We talked about how digital technology enabled the transition of health consumers from passive recipients of health information to active owners of their health in a previous blog. With the internet, the possibilities for the health information people can access with a few clicks are endless — information from “the signs of a heart attack” to “the global burden of leprosy”.
Communicating any type of health information has never been easier. A World Health Organization infographic can be easily shared via WhatsApp. Online versions of medical textbooks are available to purchase. Scientific research articles can be easily downloaded. But the convenience of communicating health information can also bring about negative effects. The COVID-19 pandemic exemplifies how the digital age we are in can be both good and bad for health communication.
The risk of misinformation
Since SARS-CoV-2 started spreading to other countries, an onslaught of information about the illness caused by this virus started to spread like wildfire on social media. The information included claims such as drinking water, alcohol, or snake oil could prevent/cure COVID-19, as well as baseless conspiracy theories such as how 5G mobile networks can promote the transmission of the virus. The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) referred to this rapid spread of misinformation as an “infodemic” and explained about the dangers it poses to public health efforts. But international organizations, governments, and tech companies also used digital tools to address the infodemic. For example, the WHO released a series of infographics on COVID-19–related mythbusters on their website and social media platforms, one of which clearly stated that 5G networks cannot spread viruses. These infographics can also be easily shared and downloaded.
Health communication was, is, and will remain integral in scientific research and public health
Health communication has emerged as a distinct field within the public health sphere. The field now has an ever-growing body of literature, a plethora of scientific journals, dedicated professional organizations, and even specialized university courses and degrees. This underscores how important health communication strategies have become to inform public health and fuel sound scientific research.
Schenelle Dlima is a Scientific Content Writer at Saathealth, an AI-powered, chronic care digital health platform.
