Abstract
The political focus in the United States has been on individualism with minimal restrictions on property and personal conduct. Government regulation or paternalism has been accepted, however, in the area of public health. Political thought has embraced the concepts of common or group interests which must be protected and which legitimize the police power of the state. Contemporary public health problems such as fluoridation, alcoholism, the wearing of motorcycle helmets, and the discouragement of smoking are discussed in terms of constitutional rights and the collective good. (KIE abstract)
