The monograph is one of the Fogarty International Center Series on the Teaching of Preventive Medicine, undertaken to: (1) review and evaluate the state of the art of prevention and control of human diseases; (2) identify deficiences in knowledge requiring further research (including analysis of financial resources, preventive techniques, and manpower); and (3) recognize problems in applications of preventive methods and suggest corrective action. In it is described the interdependent relationships between schools of public health and departments of preventive and community medicine, two organizations that can productively collaborate in promoting the health of individuals and the community they live in. Also included are discussions of: the content and objectives of undergraduate training; orienting the medical student toward disease prevention and health maintenance; methods of teaching and concepts of epidemiology and demography needed to understand the disease patterns in population groups; and resources in the medical school and the community that can be used in teaching preventive medicine. The monograph is addressed to students and teachers and intended for use as a reference source. (Author/MSE)