The course examines the experience of health and illness at the societal level from both the scientific and ethical perspectives. It seeks to reveal the spread of diseases and health problems in society as well as their determining factors and raises questions about how populations and groups of individuals go about solving the problems. The emphasis will be put on how scientific reasoning is used and the place of science and technology in dealing with those problems. The course also explores the roles of the individual and society in maintaining good public health and handling possible public health crises. We will discuss, in particular, the responsibilities of individuals, health care professionals and government in maintaining and promoting public health. In this connection, individuals' rights in general and patients' rights in particular will be discussed, and moral issues arising from the allocation of public resources and using biotechnology in public health care will be examined.