A Public Health Lobbyist in the 19th Century

After graduating from the Ecole Polytechnique in 1801, Victor de Moleon devoted his skills to editing the work of the various councils and companies that gravitated around state powers. Having edited the reports of the Paris Health Council, he made use of fellow alumni at his supervisory authority, the Ministry of Trade, to generalize this institution to all French departements, which could then subscribe to his publication. This self-serving lobbying played an active role in the 1848 decree that set up Public Health Councils in all local government areas. These bodies lasted until 2006, when they were replaced by Departmental Councils for the Environment and Health and Technological Risks.