Human Biologists in the Archives: Demography, Health, Nutrition and Genetics in Historical Populations

360 Pages·2003·7.62 MB·English

by  D. Ann Herring

HumanBiologistsintheArchives
Many physical anthropologists study populations using data that come
primarilyfromthehistoricalrecord.Forthisvolume’sauthors,theclas-
sicanthropological‘field’isnottheglamourofanexoticlocale,butthe
sometimestediumofthedustybackroomsoflibraries,archivesandmu-
seumcollections.Thisbooktellsofthewayinwhicharchivaldatainform
anthropologicalquestionsabouthumanbiologyandhealth.Theauthors
present a diverse array of human biological evidence from a variety of
sources including the archeological record, medical collections, church
records, contemporary health and growth data and genetic information
fromthedescendantsofhistoricalpopulations.Thechaptersdemonstrate
howtheanalysisofhistoricaldocumentsexpandsthehorizonsofresearch
inhumanbiology,extendsthelongitudinalanalysisofmicroevolutionary
andsocialprocessesintothepresentandenhancesourunderstandingof
thehumancondition.
D. Ann Herring is Associate Professor in the Department of Anthro-
pologyatMcMasterUniversityinHamilton,Canada.Hercurrentinterests
centerontheanthropologyofinfectiousdisease,historicaldemography
andepidemiology,environmentalhealthandAboriginalhealthinCanada.
Shehasco-authoredAboriginalHealthinCanada:Historical,Cultural
andEpidemiologicalPerspectives(1995)withJamesWaldramandT.Kue
Young,andco-editedStrengthinDiversity:AReaderinPhysicalAnthro-
pology(1994)withLeslieK.-Y.Chan,andGraveReflections:Portraying
thePastThroughCemeteryStudies(1995)withShelleyR.Saunders.
AlanC.SwedlundisProfessorofAnthropologyandResearchAssociate
in the Social and Demographic Research Institute at the University of
Massachusetts, Amherst. He is also a Research Associate at the New
MexicoStateMuseumofIndianArtsandCulture/LaboratoryofAnthro-
pology.Hisresearchinterestsareinanthropologicaldemography,histor-
icalepidemiology,andthehistoryofphysicalanthropology.

CambridgeStudiesinBiologicalandEvolutionaryAnthropology
SeriesEditors
HUMAN ECOLOGY
C.G.NicholasMascie-Taylor,UniversityofCambridge
MichaelA.Little,StateUniversityofNewYork,Binghamton
GENETICS
KennethM.Weiss,PennsylvaniaStateUniversity
HUMAN EVOLUTION
RobertA.Foley,UniversityofCambridge
NinaG.Jablonski,CaliforniaAcademyofScience
PRIMATOLOGY
KarenB.Strier,UniversityofWisconsin,Madison
ConsultingEditor
EmeritusProfessorDerekF.Roberts
Selectedtitlesalsointheseries
16 HumanEnergeticsinBiologicalAnthropologyStanleyJ.Ulijaszek
0521432952
17 HealthConsequencesof‘Modernisation’RoyJ.Shephard&AndersRode
0521474019
18 TheEvolutionofModernHumanDiversityMartaM.Lahr0521473934
19 VariabilityinHumanFertilityLylianeRosetta&C.G.N.Mascie-Taylor
(eds.)0521495695
20 AnthropologyofModernHumanTeethG.RichardScott&ChristyG.TurnerII
0521455081
21 BioarchaeologyClarkS.Larsen052149641(hardback),0521658349
(paperback)
22 ComparativePrimateSocioecologyP.C.Lee(ed.)0521593360
23 PatternsofHumanGrowth,secondeditionBarryBogin0521564387
(paperback)
24 MigrationandColonisationinHumanMicroevolutionAlanFix0521592062
25 HumanGrowthinthePastRobertD.Hoppa&CharlesM.FitzGerald(eds.)
052163153X
26 HumanPaleobiologyRobertB.Eckhardt0521451604
27 MountainGorillasMarthaM.Robbins,PascaleSicotte&KellyJ.Stewart
(eds.)0521760047
28 EvolutionandGeneticsofLatinAmericanPopulationsFranciscoM.Salzano&
MariaC.Bortolini0521652758

Human Biologists in
the Archives
Demography, Health, Nutrition and Genetics
in Historical Populations
EDITED BY
D. ANN HERRING
McMasterUniversity
and
ALAN C. SWEDLUND
UniversityofMassachusetts,Amherst
  
Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo
Cambridge University Press
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Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
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© Cambridge University Press 2003
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relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place
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Contents
Contributors pageix
ForewordbySydelSilvermanandMichaelA.Little xi
Acknowledgements xvii
1 Human biologists in the archives: demography, health, nutrition
andgeneticsinhistoricalpopulations 1
ALAN C. SWEDLUND and D. ANN HERRING
2 The use of archives in the study of microevolution: changing
demographyandepidemiologyinEscazu´,CostaRica 11
LORENA MADRIGAL
3 Anthropometricdataandpopulationhistory 32
JOHN H. RELETHFORD
4 Foreverythingthereisaseason:ChumashIndianbirths,marriages,
anddeathsattheAltaCaliforniamissions 53
PHILLIP L. WALKER and JOHN R. JOHNSON
5 Children of the poor: infant mortality in the Erie County
Almshouseduringthemidnineteenthcentury 78
ROSANNE L. HIGGINS
6 Worked to the bone: the biomechanical consequences of ‘labor
therapy’atanineteenthcenturyasylum 96
SHAWN M. PHILLIPS
7 Monitoredgrowth:anthropometricsandhealthhistoryrecordsat
aprivateNewEnglandmiddleschool,1935–1960 130
LYNETTE LEIDY SIEVERT
8 Scarletfeverepidemicsofthenineteenthcentury:acaseofevolved
pathogenicvirulence? 159
ALAN C. SWEDLUND and ALISON K. DONTA
9 The ecology of a health crisis: Gibraltar and the 1865 cholera
epidemic 178
LAWRENCE A. SAWCHUK and STACIE D.A. BURKE
vii
viii Contents
10 WarandpopulationcompositioninA˚land,Finland 216
JAMES H. MIELKE
11 Infectiousdiseasesinthehistoricalarchives:amodelingapproach 234
LISA SATTENSPIEL
12 Wherewerethewomen? 266
ANNE L. GRAUER
13 Malnutrition among northern peoples of Canada in the 1940s:
anecologicalandeconomicdisaster 289
D. ANN HERRING, SYLVIA ABONYI and ROBERT D. HOPPA
14 Archivalresearchinphysicalanthropology 311
MALCOLM T. SMITH
Index 337
Contributors
SylviaAbonyi
SaskatchewanPopulationHealthandEvaluationResearchUnit(SPHERU),
DepartmentofCommunityHealthandEpidemiology,Universityof
Saskatchewan,Saskatoon,SaskatchewanS7N5E5,Canada
StacieD.A.Burke
DepartmentofAnthropology,McMasterUniversity,Hamilton,OntarioL8S4L9,
Canada
AlisonK.Donta
MassachusettsInstituteforSocialandEconomicResearch,Universityof
MassachusettsatAmherst,Amherst,MA01003-4805,USA
AnneL.Grauer
DepartmentofSociologyandAnthropology,LoyolaUniversityChicago,6525N
SheridanRoad,Chicago,IL60626,USA
D.AnnHerring
DepartmentofAnthropology,McMasterUniversity,Hamilton,OntarioL8S4L9,
Canada
RosanneL.Higgins
DepartmentofHealthSciences,ClevelandStateUniversity,1983East24thStreet,
Cleveland,OH44115-2440,USA
RobertD.Hoppa
DepartmentofAnthropology,UniversityofManitoba,Winnipeg,ManitobaR3T
5V5,Canada
JohnR.Johnson
DepartmentofAnthropology,SantaBarbaraMuseumofNaturalHistory,Santa
Barbara,CA93105,USA
LynetteLeidySievert
DepartmentofAnthropology,MachmerHall,UniversityofMassachusettsat
Amherst,Amherst,MA01003-4805,USA
MichaelA.Little
DepartmentofAnthropology,BinghamtonUniversity,StateUniversityof
NewYork,Binghamton,NY13902-6000,USA
ix