A New Synthesis: The Evolution and Ecology of Disease
Evolutionary and ecological perspectives have transformed medical anthropology from a traditional focus on cultural aspects of health and healing and comparative study of medical systems to a broader perspective on human health in an environmental context. This transformation has been truly interdisciplinary. Medical ecologists, human biologists, and health practitioners have joined forces with epidemiologists, medical geographers, and medical historians to generate a new synthesis in the anthropological study of health. The scope of this review ranges from classic studies in medical ecology to current trends in Darwinian medicine, with focus on the history, methods, controversies, and debates associated with ecological and evolutionary perspectives in medical anthropology.
History
Field research in the mid-20th century on disease distribution and human adaptation in various habitats formed a solid foundation for foraging...
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McElroy, A. (2004). Evolutionary and Ecological Perspectives. In: Ember, C.R., Ember, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Medical Anthropology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-29905-X_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-29905-X_4
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