The article represents an excursus in the history of growing and development of health protection field legal regulation in Ukraine. Analyzed of the modern understanding of health as to the social value. The periodization of the legal regulation of the medical activity was considered and grounded. Noted, that it's studying is necessary, because today the system of health care must be reformed. Further successful development of national public health system requires a constant renovation and improvement of the normative-legal base and for this purpose it is necessary to take into account historical experience.