College student health in the 21st century.

The first college student health services were developed in the early to mid-1800s. The Cadet Hospital was built by West Point in 1830 primarily in response to respiratory illnesses that ran rife through the Academy each winter. The hospital not only provided care for ill students but also allowed them to be separated from the general student population. The role of similar infirmaries in preventing the spread of disease among students was likely a primary driver of the development of college student health programs in the 19th century. A more comprehensive model was developed by Amherst College in 1861 after the college president expressed concern about the large numbers of students who had to leave school due to illnesses and observed that “students of our colleges have bodies which need care and culture as well as the intellectual and moral powers and which need this care at the same time with higher education.” Amherst subsequently created the first physician faculty position dedicated to student health; their program laid out a more comprehensive approach, as follows: (1) provide treatment of ill students, (2) provide physical examinations of all students when they arrive on campus, (3) conduct regular programs of physical exercise for students, and (4) provide education in hygiene. This model of acute illness management, preventive care through routine physical examinations, and health promotion through physical activity and education spread quickly.