Evolution And History

Suggested Readings 321

Questions for Reflection

1. Considering that population size has been expanding
   throughout our evolutionary history, why is this continuing
   trend a challenge of critical proportions for humans today?


2. The anthropological distinction between illness and
   disease provides a way to separate biological states from cul-
   tural elaborations given to those biological states. Can you
   think of some examples of illness without disease and disease
   without illness?


3. What do you think of the notion of letting a fever run
   its course instead of taking a medicine to lower it? Do these

Paleolithic prescriptions suggested by evolutionary medicine

run counter to your own medical beliefs and practices?

4. Are there any examples in your experience of how the
   growth process or human reproductive physiology helped
   you adapt to environmental stressors? Does this ability help
   humans from an evolutionary perspective?


5. Do you see examples of structural violence in your
   community that make some individuals more vulnerable to
   disease than others?

Suggested Readings

Ehrlich, P. R., & Ehrlich, A. H. (2008). The dominant animal:

Human evolution and the environment. Washington, DC:

Island.

From the scientists leading global efforts to contain hu-

man population size, this book traces the ways humans

have modified the environment and themselves over the

course of our evolutionary history in order to ensure our

future.

Ellison, P. T. (2003). On fertile ground: A natural history of

human reproduction. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University

Press.

A leader in the field of reproductive ecology, Ellison dem-

onstrates the extreme responsiveness of human reproductive

hormones to a variety of environmental stimuli including

the changing human-made environments of today.

Farmer, P. (2001). Infections and inequalities: The modern

plagues. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Paul Farmer, continuing the tradition of the physician-

anthropologist, traces the relationship between structural

violence and infectious disease, demonstrating that the

world’s poor bear a disproportionate burden of disease.

Helman, C. B. (2003). Culture, health, and illness: An

introduction for health professionals. New York: Butterworth

Heinemann Medical.

This well-referenced book provides a good overview and in-

troduction to medical anthropology. Though written with

health professionals in mind, it is very accessible for North

American students who have firsthand experience with bio-

medicine, the dominant medical system of North America.

McElroy, A., & Townsend, P. K. (2003). Medical anthropol-

ogy in ecological perspective. Boulder, CO: Westview.

Now in its fourth edition, this text lays out ecological approaches

in medical anthropology, including biocultural, environmental,

and evolutionary perspectives. In addition to providing a clear

theoretical perspective, it offers excellent examples of applied

work by medical anthropologists to improve health globally.

Trevathan, W., Smith, E. O., & McKenna, J. J. (Eds.). (1999).

Evolutionary medicine. London: Oxford University Press.

This comprehensive edited volume collects primary research

conducted by leaders in the field of evolutionary medicine.

Examples from throughout the human life cycle range from

sexually transmitted diseases to cancer.

plains, to rich tropical forests, human cultures in these

varied places became distinct from one another. In each

environment, human groups devised their own specific

beliefs and practices to meet the challenges of survival.

In the future, dramatic changes in cultural values will

be required if our species is to thrive. “New, improved”

values might, for example, include a worldview that

sees humanity as part of the world, rather than as mas-

ter over it, as it is in many of the world’s cultures today.

Included, too, might be a sense of social responsibility

that recognizes and affirms respect among ethnic groups

as well as our collective stewardship for the earth we

inhabit.

Our continued survival will depend on our ability to

cultivate positive social connections among all kinds of

people and to recognize the ways we impact one another

in a world interconnected by the forces of globalization.

Together, we can use the adaptive faculty of culture,

the hallmark of our species, to ensure our continued

survival.

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