The crisis of public health: Reflections for the debate brings together an important and informative group of papers relating to the process of analysis that PAHO has fostered for the last four years. The book first looks at the programmatic priorities established by PAHO's Governing Bodies relative to this issue and then presents representative points of view from throughout the hemisphere on what constitutes the crisis as such. These latter contributions were also the object of an initial discussion held in New Orleans, Louisiana, in October 1991, which is summarized in the third part of the book. Finally, a proposed agenda for future debate at the country level is presented. The principal objective of The crisis of public health: Reflections for the debate is to stimulate publich health professionals to undertake a more thorough analysis, with the hope of effecting a change in both what is examined (broaden the object of analysis) and how it is examined (use more far-reaching analytical traditions.) Readers will realize that the book is not merely a culmination of current concern over publich health but rather a point of departure for further analysis and action.