The Definition of Health Was Revised in 1948
Health is the state of being well. The World Health Organization defined it broadly, and the definition has been debated ever since.
Health is the state of being free from illness or injury. The World Health Organization's 1948 constitution went further: health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease. Critics say complete wellbeing is unachievable and makes almost everyone unhealthy; defenders say the point was to widen medicine's horizon.
- The state of being well. *In good health.*
- A toast. *Your good health.*
- The condition of something. *The health of the economy.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | health | Poor health. |
| Adjective | healthy | A healthy diet. |
| Adverb | healthily | Eating healthily. |
| Related | healthful | A healthful climate. |
| Related | heal | Heal completely. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Health is more than the absence of disease.The WHO definition.
- A healthy diet and a healthful climate.See the distinction below.
- Public health deals with populations.Not individual patients.
Healthy or healthful
- Healthy — possessing good health, and now also promoting it
- Healthful — conducive to health, the older strict usage
- Modern usage — healthy covers both, and healthful is rare in Britain
- Public health — the health of populations
- Determinants of health — income, housing and education, not just medicine
From Old English *hælth*, from *hal*, whole, with the noun-forming *-th* suffix — the same pattern as *warmth* and *depth*.
Healthy or healthful?
Strictly, a person is healthy and a food is healthful. In practice healthy now does both jobs and is the usual choice.
Why is the WHO definition criticised?
Because complete wellbeing is unattainable, which would make almost everyone unhealthy, including people managing chronic conditions well.