Physical Anthropology

Book reviewed in this article:
The Roots of Prejudice. Arnold Rose.
Racial Myths. Juan Comas.
Race and Psychology. Otto Klineberg.
Race and Culture. Michel Leiris.
Race and Biology. L. C. Dunn.
The Significance of Racial Differences. G. M. Morant.
Race and History. Claude Lévi-Strauss.     

1895-1950年间的中国体质人类学研究与教学活动述略

1895-1950年间的中国体质人类学活动,既注重研究和教学相结合,又注重体质调查和文化调查相结合,生物与考古并重,其研究目的在于揭示各族群的体质差异,以及人类的演化问题.先期主要由外国学者进入并开展研究和教学活动,后期则主要由中国本土人类学家推动这一工作.另外,此一阶段后期体质人类学发展深受中日战争影响,战争前主要分布于北方、华东和华南,战争爆发期间主要集中于西南,战争后则主要集中于东南和华南.     

Physical Anthropology and the dental and medical specialties

The rise of two sub-specialties in Physical Anthropology traces back to the Anatomy Departments of Schools of Medicine in Germany and France during the nineteenth century. The study of human diversity in bones and bodies was largely by medically-trained anatomists. There developed Medical Anthropology and Dental Anthropology, employing osteometry and craniometry on the skeleton, somatometry and cephalometry on the living body. As a result cross-sectional studies gave way to longitudinal studies and X-ray techniques were added to purely mensurational procedures. In Medical Anthropology the specialties most directly concerned are pediatrics, plastic surgery, endocrinology, and orthopaedics. In Dental Anthropology the specialties most directly concerned are pedodontics, orthodontics, oral surgery, and prosthodontics. The contributions of Physical Anthropology to each is discussed.     

The Skeleton in the Physical Anthropology Closet1

Abstract

The “new” and “newer” concepts of physical anthropology are oriented to biochemical, genetic and evolutionary studies. While theseareneededand welcome concepts, they often slight the basic tools of anthropometry and typology. Also, the new and newer physical anthropology tends to separate biological factors from their cultural contexts. The writer discusses several questions posed by this shift in emphasis and suggests that the lack of a functional approach lessens the effectiveness of both biologically and culturally oriented investigators.