Palaeopathology and Evolutionary Medicine: An Integrated Approach

by Kimberley A. Plomp (Editor), Charlotte A. Roberts (Editor), Sarah Elton (Editor), Gilian R. Bentley (Editor)

Overview

Evolutionary medicine has been steadily gaining recognition, not only in modern clinical research and practice, but also in bioarchaeology (the study of archaeological human remains) and especially its sub-discipline, palaeopathology. To date, however, palaeopathology has note been necessarily recognised as particularly useful to the field and most key texts in evolutionary medicine have tended to overlook it.

This novel text is the first to highlight the benefits of using palaeopathological research to answer questions about the evolution of disease and its application to current health problems, as well as the benefits of using evolutionary thinking in medicine to help interpret historical disease processes. It presents hypothesis-driven research by experts in biological anthropology (including palaeopathology), medicine, health sciences, and evolutionary medicine through a series of unique case studies that address specific research questions. Each chapter has been co-authored by two or more researchers with different disciplinary perspectives in order to provide original, insightful, and interdisciplinary contributions that will provide new insights for both palaeopathology and evolutionary medicine.

Palaeopathology and Evolutionary Medicine is intended for graduate level students and professional researchers in a wide range of fields including the humanities (history), social sciences (anthropology, archaeology, palaeopathology, geography), and life sciences (medicine and biology). Relevant courses include evolutionary medicine, evolutionary anthropology, medical anthropology, and palaeopathology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198849728
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	10/03/2022
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	9.72(w) x 7.51(h) x 0.71(d)

About the Author

Kimberley A. Plomp, Associate Professorial Fellow and Chief of the Osteoarchaeology Laboratory, Archaeological Studies Program, University of the Philippines,Charlotte A. Roberts, Professor Emeritus, Department of Archaeology, Durham University, UK,Sarah Elton, Professor, Department of Anthropology, Durham University, UK,Gilian R. Bentley, Professor, Department of Anthropology, Durham University, UK

Kimberly A. Plomp is a bioarchaeologist with expertise in palaeopathology and human evolution. She has a PhD in Anthropology and Archaeology from Durham University, UK and has held three postdoctoral posts at Simon Fraser University, Canada and the University of Liverpool, UK. She is now an Associate Professorial Fellow and Chief of the Osteoarchaeology laboratory in the Archaeological Studies Program at the University of the Philippines.

Charlotte A. Roberts is a bioarchaeologist with a background in general nursing. She has specific expertise in palaeopathology and has conducted research and teaching in bioarchaeology for around 40 years. Her academic career started at the University of Bradford, UK but worked at Durham University, UK for 20 years before retiring. Her key research areas focus on the origin, evolution and history of infectious diseases, she is passionate about engaging the public with her research, and works on ethical implications of studying archaeological human remains. She is a Fellow of the British Academy.

Gillian Bentley is a biosocial anthropologist who was previously a bioarchaeologist specialising in the ancient Near East. She later retrained in bioanthropology and has since focused on reproductive ecology, early life development, and migrant health. She has held a strong interest in evolutionary medicine for several years, publishing numerous articles in the field and creating one of the first Masters in Evolutionary Medicine at Durham University, UK. She is an Associate Editor of OUP's journal Evolution, Medicine and Public Health and was a founding member of the International Society for Evolution, Medicine and Public Health for which she is also a council member.

Sarah Elton is Professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Durham University, UK having previously worked at the Hull York Medical School, where she developed an interest in critical approaches to evolutionary medicine, complementing her overarching research interest on the ecological context for human evolution. Her primary research focuses on primate morphology, ecology and biogeography. In the field of evolutionary medicine, she co-edited, with Paul O'Higgins, Medicine and Evolution: Current Applications, Future Prospects (CRC Press, 2008). She co-authored, with Stanley Ulijaszek and Neil Mann, Evolving Human Nutrition: Implications for Public Health, (Cambridge University Press, 2012), and has also written on evolutionary nutrition for an international medical audience.

Table of Contents

Foreword, Frank Rühli1. What's it all about? A legacy for the next generation of scholars in evolutionary medicine and palaeopathology, Kimberly A. Plomp, Charlotte A. Roberts, Sarah Elton, and Gillian R. Bentley2. Developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD): perspectives from bioarchaeology, Julia Gamble and Gillian Bentley3. Acquired spinal conditions in humans: the roles of spinal curvature, the shape of the lumbar vertebrae, and evolutionary history, Kimberly A. Plomp, Ella Been and Mark Collard4. Birthing humans in the past, the present and future: how birth can be approached holistically through an evolutionary medicine lens, Sarah-Louise Decrausaz and Frances Galloway5. Isotopic reconstruction of ancient human diet and health: implications for evolutionary medicine, Nicole Burt and Alexandra M. Greenwald6. Developmental, evolutionary, and behavioural perspectives on oral health, Tanya M. Smith and Christina Warinner7. Palaeoecology: considering proximate and ultimate influences in human diets and environmental responses in the early Holocene Dnieper River region of Ukraine, Malcolm C. Lillie and Sarah Elton8. Human resistance and the evolution of plague in Medieval Europe, Kirsten Bos and Sharon N. DeWitte9. Leprosy Is down but not yet out: new insights shed light on its origin and evolution, Charlotte Roberts, David M. Scollard and Vinicius M. Fava10. Preventable and curable, but still a global problem: tuberculosis from an evolutionary perspective, Charlotte A. Roberts, Peter D.O. Davies, Kelly E. Blevins and Anne C. Stone11. Evolutionary perspectives on human parasitic infection: ancient parasites to modern medicine., Marissa L. Ledger and Piers D. Mitchell12. Cardiovascular disease in ancient people and contemporary implications, Randall C. Thompson, Chris J. Rowan, Nicholas W. Weis, M. Linda Sutherland, Caleb E. Finch, Michaela Binder, Charlotte A. Roberts and Gregory S. Thomas13. Connecting palaeopathology and evolutionary medicine to cancer research: past and present, Carina Marques, Zachary Compton and Amy M. Boddy14. Stress in bioarchaeology, epidemiology, and evolutionary medicine: an integrated conceptual model of shared history from the descriptive to the developmental, Daniel H. Temple and Ashley N. Edes15. Metabolic diseases in bioarchaeology: an evolutionary medicine approach, Jonathan C. Wells, Nelissa Ling, Jay T. Stock, Hallie Buckley and William R. Leonard16. The palaeopathology of traumatic injuries: an evolutionary medicine perspective, Ryan P. Harrod and Anna J. Osterholtz17. Uncovering tales of transmission: an integrated palaeopathological perspective on the evolution of shared human and animal pathogens, Elizabeth W. Uhl and Richard Thomas18. Now you have read the book, what next?, Gillian Bentley, Charlotte A. Roberts, Sarah Elton and Kimberley A. PlompAfterword, Jane Buikstra

Editorial Reviews

"An impressive volume focusing on the integration of paleopathology—the study of disease, health and the challenges to health in the past—and evolutionary medicine—the study of health in an evolutionary context. The book successfully integrates the two fields, giving both new strengths and revised aspirations in addressing common goals. It offers new opportunities for the development of a more informed understanding of health and well-being, including, but not limited to, aging, reproductive health, immune function, inflammation, microbiomes, and diet and nutrition." — Evolution, Medicine, & Public Health

"There is much of value here for anyone interested in the intersection of paleopathology and evolutionary medicine." — Richard A.Richards, New Biological Books

From the Publisher