十九世紀的法國公共衛生學，將單身定義成是一種社會公害，甚至以痲瘋病來指稱單身，認為應針對單身者採取古老的痲瘋病患排除措施。本文旨在提供一個有助於理解關於單身的科學性知識之形成的歷史脈絡，著重在探討十九世紀公共衛生學所建構起的身體，以及描述該建構的模式與過程，所要掌握的是單身問題在什麼時候以全新的模式出現，這個新的模式有何特殊性，在這個新的模式當中，單身問題又是如何與其他的問題相連結：人口成長率衰退的問題、社會的犯罪率居高不下的問題、國家種族退化的問題等。十九世紀公共衛生學對單身問題的處理，突顯出單身問題之重要性，單身問題位於現代文明社會的身體建構之中心點，是個人的身體規範與集體的身體規範之交會處，表達出十九世紀法國社會的文明化進程之重心：合宜的婚姻、家庭和性關係。

In studies of French public health in the nineteenth century, celibacy was referred to as a public nuisance to society. It was eve n regarded as leprosy, and celibates were supposed to be treated and segregated as the leprosy patients. This article aims to provide a historic context that helps to understand formation of scientific knowledge concerning celibacy. It focuses on the concept of body constructed by the science of public health in the nineteenth century, and describes the model and process of that construction. This article attempts to grasp when the celibacy problem appears in a novel model, what specific properties this novel model possesses, and how celibacy is related to other issues: the depopulation problem, high crime rate problem, national degeneration problem, and so on.