Introduction. In 2021 the order of the Ministry of science and the higher education of the Russian Federation instead of scientific specialty "Public Health and Health Care", entered specialty "Public Health and Organization of Health Care, Sociology and History of Medicine". This specialty is referred to group of scientific disciplines "Preventive medicine". Thus, there was a change of the name of the major specialty which main objective preservation and improvement of health of the population that causes relevance of a research. Research objective. Studying of the main stages of development and changes of the name of specialty "Public Health and Health Care". Materials and methods. The content analysis methods, information and analytical materials of the Russian and foreign authors, materials of monographic researches including placed on the Internet are used. Results. Despite the invariance of a main objective of specialty – preservation and maintenance of health of big mass of the population, but not certain people, its name constantly changes. In total authors counted seven names: "medical (sanitary) police"; "social medicine"; "social hygiene"; "organization of health care"; "social hygiene and organization of health care"; "public health and health care"; "public health and organization of health care, sociology and history of medicine". The main directions which, according to authors, have to make an essence and content of basic and applied scientific research on the considered discipline now and on prospect are also listed in article. Discussion. In economically developed foreign countries "the organization of health care" isn't allocated separately though much attention is paid to a research of problems of medicine and health care. At the same time in domestic literature the discussion about a formulation, a subject, an object and problems of the set of the scientific knowledge connected with a concept of public health and health care doesn't cease. According to authors, when determining scientific subject and also within dissertation works, it is important to study the most significant for modern, "semi-transformed" from a distributive Soviet budgetary system to capitalist insurance, health care systems of Russia. Conclusion. Despite changes of terminology, during any historical period the national systems of public health care consist of the objects cooperating with each other united by a common goal on production of health. In medical science development of cross-disciplinary communication have to promote growth of theoretical and methodological level of disclosure of social and economic problems of medicine, health and health care.