History of the health notebook in France: a stake for mothers, doctors and state.

The health notebook is a booklet distributed in France to mothers for making notes about the growth and health events of their children. The physicians who first adopted this initiative thought that mothers would be the best link between themselves and the health of babies. The oldest example discussed here came from a Montpellier medical doctor (1869). Many other initiatives followed until the Second World War. At the beginning of the 20th century, public health authorities became interested in this booklet as an instrument of control of the population's health. The idea of making this health notebook compulsory was implemented in 1945. Since 1970, it has included three health certificates signed by a physician. Therefore, families, doctors and State have all come to have a stake in the health notebook.