It is common to think of public/private partnerships as the latest chapter in global health improvement, and it is true that such partnerships are much in the news. But it is also true that few things are truly new.

Several thousand years ago, the Greek and Roman historian Polybius (Greek by origin, but as a captive of Rome he also chronicled Roman history) pointed out that the world is a dynamic whole where everything is interconnected. This has been true for public health and global health, where every advance has combined private initiatives and public efforts. Although some would interpret blurring the lines as the result of being out of focus, the real interpretation is that there is no distinct line because we are all in this together.

The immunization program in the United States has been only one example. Almost fifty years ago the announcement that the Salk polio vaccine could actually prevent the disease was one of the great days in public health. Much of the funding came from donations of individuals to the “March of Dimes.” Work was done in both public and private laboratories, private companies produced the vaccine, and the announcement was made at a public university, the University of Michigan. There Tommy Francis coordinated the largest field trial ever attempted, which involved both public and private institutions and workers.