The Introduction sets out the key questions to be explored, sum- marises the main arguments and describes the case-studies used to consider these issues in depth. What was the place of the public in public health in post-war Britain? How did this change over time, and why does this matter? We briefly describe how we go about answering such questions by intro- ducing the reader to our case-study areas. These are: the changing nature of health education; the public health survey; the response to heart disease; and the development of vaccination policy and practice. We also set out what each chapter will cover and argue.