The Savage Wars of Peace: England, Japan and the Malthusian Trap

by Alan Macfarlane

Overview

Through detailed comparative analysis of English and Japanese history the book explores such matters as the destruction of war, decline of famine, the control of fertility.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780631181170
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	05/28/1997
Pages:	446
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Alan MacFarlane is Professor of Anthropological Science at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of King's College. In 1986 he was elected a Fellow of the British Economy. His previous books include The Origins of English Individualism, (1978) Marriage and Love in England (1986) and The Culture of Capitalism (1987), all published by Blackwell Publishers Ltd.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements.

References, Conventions and Measures.

Introduction.

Part I: The Trap:.

1. The Malthusian Trap.

2. Two Islands.

Part II: Wars of Peace:.

3. Natural Environment, Culture and Human Labour.

4. The Destruction of War.

5. The Nature, Causes and Elimination of Famine.

6. Food and Nutrition.

Part III: In the Body: .

7. Dysentery, Typhoid, Cholera and the Water Supply.

8. Drink: Milk, Water, Beer and Tea.

9. Two Methods for the Disposal of Human Excrement.

Part IV: On the Body:.

10. Vector-borne Diseases: Plague, Typhus and Malaria.

11. Public Environs: Streets, Fields and Markets.

12. Housing and Health.

13. Textiles, Clothing and Footwear.

14. Bodily Hygiene: Bathing and Washing.

15. Changing Concepts of Dirt and Cleanliness.

Part V: In the Air:.

16. Air-borne Diseases: Smallpox, Measles and Tuberculosis.

Part VI: In the Womb:.

17. Fertility, Marriage and Sexual Relations.

18. Biology and Contraception.

19. Abortion and Infanticide.

20. Strategies of Heirship.

Part VII: Outcome: .

21. Design and Chance.

Index.

Editorial Reviews

"Presents a compelling reading of the lost world which gave birth to our own." THES

From the Publisher

Seeks to explain how the Earth's presently enormous population manages to exist and even thrive, against the predictions of leading thinkers of 200 years ago such as Thomas Malthus and Adam Smith. Draws on sources including traveler's accounts, diaries, and medical texts to compare English and Japanese practices relating to war, famine, the disposal of human waste, housing, and bathing, looking at their effects on health, and shows how both nations controlled fertility though marriage and sexual patterns, biological and contraceptive factors, abortion, and infanticide. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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