Showing papers on "Biological anthropology published in 1979"

Human Evolution and Prehistory

Abstract: This text is intended for the introductory courses that concentrate on physical anthropology and prehistoric archaeology. This book offers a comprehensive and balanced presentation on views of the human evolution and prehistory. It focuses on selected aspects of physical anthropology and prehistoric archaeology as they relate to the origin of humanity, the origin of culture, and the development of human biological and cultural diversity.

Anthropological genetics and prehistory in melanesia: is there a contribution?

Abstract: FROM the expatriate social anthropologist's perspective, Melanesia's most distinctive characteristic as a cultural area is its immense diversity (e.g., Langness and Weschler, 1971:10). So too from the viewpoint of biological anthropology: referring to material from Papua New Guinea I and my colleagues published some years ago, Wood (1978:463) claims 'By far the most remarkable result of this research has been the discovery of huge stores of genetic variation within these small populations'. The demonstration of the human biological diversity of Papua New Guinea, in terms of quantifiable genetic evidence, began more than a half-century ago with the report of Heydon and Murphy (1924) on the 'biochemical index' (i.e., the ABO blood groups) of some 753 indigenous inhabitants. The burgeoning record of biological variation since that time, however, has not often enough led to interpretations of historical or structural relationships.

Application of Physical Anthropology to Human Nutritional Assessment

Abstract: by ROBERT A. HALBERSTEIN Departments of Anthropology and of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fla. 33124, U.S.A. 18 x 78 Research activities in physical anthropology, medicine, and nutrition have traditionally overlapped in scope and methodology. The past few years have witnessed a closer interaction and collaboration of these three related fields, which share interests in various aspects of human biology and health. Medical and nutritional studies, for example, have increasingly drawn upon anthropological data (e.g., Grollig and Haley 1976, Halberstein 1975, Krogman 1976, El-Najjar and McWilliams 1978, Fitzgerald 1977). A number of recent investigations have also emphasized the critical importance of a thorough nutritional evaluation of persons with diagnosed medical problems, especially hospital patients (e.g., Christakis 1973, Medical World News 1978). A workshop entitled \"The Application of Physical Anthropology to Human Nutritional Assessment\" was conducted in the summer of 1978 at Baptist Hospital in Miami, Florida, as part of that institution's In-Service Education and Skill Enhancement Program. The goal of the project was to augment and improve routine nutritional assessment procedures, particularly in the hospital setting, in order ultimately to assist in the successful treatment of patients. Methods and published findings in physical anthropology were utilized, focusing primarily upon anthropometry and worldwide data on human variation in metrical traits. The 35 nurses and hospital nutritionists participating in the workshop were first exposed to lectures and audiovisual presentations concerning cross-cultural research on the multiple factors affecting human morphology and nutritional status. Genetic and environmental influences on individual and populational variations in body form and composition were explored. Scientific studies were reviewed on the constitutional effects of ethnic background, sexual dimorphism, aging, geography and climate, exercise and activity patterns, disease, dietary habits, and the inheritance of certain well-defined genetic conditions (achondroplasia, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, dystonia musculorum deformans, etc.) .2 Anthropometric techniques were introduced with a historical discussion of the value and practical uses of human body measurements. Anthropometric nstruments were exhibited, and their methodological imitations were noted. In a series of workshop sessions, 50 anthropometric dimensions and 12 indices were demonstrated in a step-by-step \"cookbook\" format. The measurements, elected on the basis of their relevance to nutritional work, were drawn from standard references (e.g., Brozek 1956, Garn 1962, Prinsloo 1964, Montagu 1960, Weiner and Lourie 1969). Virtually all areas of the body were included -head, face, neck, trunk, limbs, etc. Stature, weight, skinfolds, and various circumferential measurements received special emphasis. Skinfold readings from ten different sites were obtained with Lange, Harpenden, and Ross calipers and compared. In subsequent sessions, workshop participants practiced measuring each other, employing the ten anthropometric dimensions

Origine du polymorphisme hématologique chez l'homme et dynamique des populations

Abstract: The origin of haematological polymorphism in man and population dynamics Jean Bernard et Jacques Ruffie The study of genetically transmitted characteristics in the blood has made great progress over the past fifteen years, both in the number of systems known and in the development of mathematical models for the analysis of data gathered. These advances have profoundly modified traditional physical anthropology. Today it is possible to define rigourously the biological structure of a population. This structure depends on : 1) the ancestral genetic stock of the population and the possibility of genetic contributions from neighbouring populations (interpopulational genetic flux; migrations, and hybridization); 2) chance (genetic drift) which plays a role especially in closed populations of small size; 3) natural selection-some factors are not neutral in relation to the environment. Taking into consideration these three parameters, it is possible to retrace the biological history of each human group which is in large part the reflection of conventional history as we know it. Examples are given for the Mediterranean zone, Western Europe, Black Africa, the Far East, and South America which show how the great historical events, especially the neolithic revolution, have left lasting marks on the structure of populations. Thus the study of haematological anthropology bridges the gap between the social sciences and the life sciences. From now on, historians, demographers, ethnologists and sociologists will benefit more and more from this field of study.

Problems in the physical anthropology of north american indians, eskimos and aleuts

Abstract: The persistence with which the Aleuts and Eskimos have clung to the coastline both during and after their original entry via the southern coast of Beringia is both a correlate and cause of the biological and cultural integrity of their system. Among the subjects discussed in this paper are biological differences between Indians and Aleuts and

From the caves of tenerife to the stores of the peabody museum

Abstract: In the preface to Earnest A. Hooton's The Ancient Inhabitants of the Canary Islands, the book which established Hooton's career in the field of physical anthropology, Hooton explains how Alexander Baillon, a British resident of Tenerife, helped him to locate Guanche burial caves in the south of the island. Hooton also explains that the skeletal remains taken from the caves were prohibited from being sent from Tenerife to the United States by the Spanish government. Nonetheless, the Guanche relics did reach the Peabody Museum of Harvard University after Hooton returned to the United States from his expedition to Tenerife. The explanation of how the Guanche relics reached the Peabody Museum is revealed in an excerpt from the unpublished memoirs of the late Alexander Baillon (1880-1963). The memoirs, which were uncovered during a recent research expedition to Tenerife, indicate that Baillon was solely responsible for removing the Guanche relics from Tenerife and for sending them to the Peabody Museum. Earnest Albert Hooton (1887-1954) was the most important man in the history of physical anthropology in the United States. Although others may lay claim to more significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge in physical anthropology, and some may dispute the validity of some of the theoretical implications drawn by Hooton from his research, none will argue the fact that Hooton was the person most responsible for the growth of physical anthropology in the United States. His influence was felt through his teaching and his writing, especially his teaching. Almost every significant contributor to the field of physical anthropology in the United States today either studied with Hooton or studied with one of Hooton's students. Hooton, who received his Ph.D. in clas