1889 to 1989: a century of health and disease.

This article traces some of the most important changes in demographics, health, and disease in the United States since 1889. The nation has grown, urbanized, and aged. Life expectancy has increased dramatically. Major health problems have shifted from communicable diseases to those resulting from environmental and behavioral influences. The Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service, a uniformed cadre of professionals in all the fields of public health, was formed in 1889 and has played an important role in the health progress of the past century. It promises to play just as significant a role in the future.