title: [1946: hygienics and public health].
abstract: In Italy, the year 1946 was characterized, on one hand, by the growing concern for the lack of public structures and, on the other, by the hopes placed in the research sector, namely the apparently inexhaustible properties of penicillin and antibiotics. Consistently, Igiene e Sanità Pubblica reflected the general mood of the hygienists, swinging between the strong protests against a far too slow political system incapable of spurring scientific research, and the constant engagement aimed at enhancing the future role of public health. Besides facing many institutional problems, such as claiming an official recognition for their profession, hygienists also managed to make Italians understand the real value of a discipline conceived for the community service.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Igiene Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore - Roma.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bucci