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.
Title: Medical Anthropology in Ecological Perspective
Author: Mcelroy, Ann
ISBN: 9780813348872
Binding:
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Inc
Publication Date: 2015-03-01
Number of Pages: 402
Weight: 0.5445 kg
I have used Medical Anthropology in Ecological Perspective on numerous occasions and it is close to my ideal for a textbook in anthropology. Its perspectives in ecology, evolution, and biocultural interpretation are in the forefront of the biomedical and social sciences. I should be proud to have written it myself. --Michael Little, Binghamton University, SUNY McElroy and Townsend's textbook is a classic, and remains the best overall introduction to medical anthropology available. It is engagingly and clearly written, covering a broad range of topics from biocultural and evolutionary perspectives. I wouldn't consider using any other text to introduce students to this fascinating field of study. --Katherine A. Dettwyler, University of Delaware The ecological perspective has proven its utility for understanding health and healing across cultures and through the major health transitions. The new edition of McElroy and Townsend retains the classic ecological approach while updating and expanding treatment of the major topics adding illustrative and contemporary case studies; it continues to be in the very first rank of medical anthropology texts. --Lawrence Schell, University at Albany, SUNY