Medical Anthropology in Ecological Perspective

by Ann McElroy, Patricia K Townsend

Global environmental change and recent worldwide infectious-disease outbreaks make the ecological perspective of medical anthropology more important a field of study than ever. In this premier teaching text, authors Ann McElroy and Patricia K. Townsend integrate biocultural, environmental, and evolutionary approaches to the study of human health, providing a complete and authoritative ecological perspective that is essential for interpreting medical anthropology. Research by biological anthropologists, archaeologists, and paleopathologists illuminates the history and prehistory of disease, along with coverage of contemporary health issues, both local and global. This sixth edition is thoroughly revised and updated, with expanded discussion on the interaction of environment and infectious disease; new material on climate change, globalization, and the effects of war on physical and mental health; and an entirely new chapter on ethics in community health and medical anthropology. Medical Anthropology in Ecological Perspective captures the essentials of the discipline and covers its ever-changing topics, trends, and developments in an engaging, accessible way.

Genres: Anthropology, Nonfiction, Read For School, Reference, Social Science, Science

400 pages, Paperback

First published April 23, 1985

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked up the first edition of this text for a college sociology class way back in the day. Now, as a prof, it is one of a handful of books from that era that I continue to find myself discussing with students. Covers a broad range of topics with compelling profiles that lend depth to subjects that might otherwise be dismissed as mundane by the average freshman.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never in my life did I think I would rate a textbook 5 stars. But I did. Not because I particularly enjoyed this textbook-reading experience, but because I didn't hate it. the chapters were manageable and easy to understand. I liked having a real world example to apply the concepts to. Also, the text wasn't unbearably dry. So good job, Ann McElroy and Pat Townsend!

[Mills College Library]

306.461 M1416 2014