The book “ Ares, Waters and Places ” can be considered the first public health treaty , where Hippocrates , the father of medicine, speaks for the first time. instead of interference of places in human health :

“(…) The following point refers to hot and cold winds (…). You should also consider the properties of the waters (…). The doctor should analyze the position of a village in relation to sunrise and sunset, because a north, or south, or east or west aspect have different characters (…). Also the soil, whether it is flat or dry, with woods and abundant waters (…).

According to Hippocrates, the doctor should know all these aspects to take care of his patients. This is because the doctor takes care of health and the goal is to maintain health in optimal condition. Indeed, throughout this treatise, the relationship with the environment is a characteristic trait in the Hippocratic understanding of the health-disease phenomenon. Starting from the observation of the organism’s functions and their relation with the natural environment (periodicity of rain, wind, heat or cold) and social (work, housing, social position, etc.), Hippocrates developed a theory that understands health as homeostasis, that is, as a result of the balance between man and his environment.