[The comprehension of health in the mirror of time]

At any point of time, what we understand by the term "health" is influenced by the prevailing ideology and value judgements. The cosmological, anthropological perspective of antiquity became subordinated to the transcendental view of the middle ages. In modern times secularisation, naturalisation, specialisation, technology, have led to biologic orientation. One can see that behind each of the definitions of health listed (that of WHO, that offered by anthropologists, that derived from psychosomatic medicine and research, that of value concepts and that of quality of life), different pictures of the world which evoke different value/judgements and ideologies emerge. These determine to a considerable degree how one thinks and acts and they find expression in health care and professional nursing practice. The concept of health reflects human understanding of self and of the world and challenges us to employ a systematic, dynamic, historical approach.