Health at the dawn of development: The thought of Abraham Horwitz

Abstract

The article explores the ideas of Pan American Health Organization director Abraham Horwitz on the relations between health and development at the time the Alliance for Progress was established, in 1961. Taking development discourse as a public philosophy of international cooperation, the discussion centers on how Horwitz worked to mediate between health and development. Horwitz endeavored to establish arguments that highlighted the importance of social policy, especially in health; he also strove to reach different audiences and drew connections between elements like health, illness, and labor productivity, without ignoring the humanistic considerations so dear to the public health tradition.