Book Reviews (Nepali-Speaking Brahmins/Chetris and Oc- Cupational Castes)

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY 11:267–281 (1999)

Book Reviews (Nepali-speaking Brahmins/Chetris and occupational castes). Part III details growth patterns of Nepali children, adult size and Form and Function: A Study of Nutrition, Ad- physique, and household anthropometric aptation, and Social Inequality in Three Gu- status. Part IV addresses energy expendi- rung Villages of the Nepal Himalayas. By ture and physical work capacity, seasonal S.S. Strickland and V.R. Tuffrey. 304 pp. variation in energy balance and activity, London: Smith-Gordon and Co. 1997. $50 and work productivity as a function of phy- (paper). sique. Finally, Part V considers population social economic structure: household The opening chapter of this volume begins wealth, income, food security, and strate- with the questions, ‘‘What is the biological gies for coping with economic hardship. significance of human social inequality? These are considered in relation to adult What is the social significance of human bio- physique, as is the extent to which adult logical variation?’’ The authors’ thesis is physique predicts reproductive success. All that ‘‘social inequality mediates processes of pathways are then linked with ‘‘current natural selection within human groups’’ (p. household nutritional or social economic 1). Chapter 1 includes a proposed social mo- plane’’ by an attempt to examine social eco- bility model (Figure 1.1), identifying path- nomic mobility over the preceding two de- ways investigated empirically, which corre- cades. sponds broadly to chapter themes and is a This is an ambitious undertaking. In their central framework for the study and the preface, Strickland and Tuffrey acknowledge book. Variables in the model include child tensions and unresolved issues underlying growth, adult body size, morbidity/ their discussion and their hope that they infertility and costs, physical work capacity achieve nonetheless a ‘‘measure of coher- and work output, and the ‘‘current nutri- ence.’’ Daunting conceptual and method- tional and social economic plane of the ological difficulties are apparent in the first household.’’ Study populations in Nepal chapter. Overall, the authors present a were chosen because of preexisting social thoughtful and concise overview of previous economic material, the physical exertion re- and current thinking regarding linkages quired by rural subsistence, and ‘‘the extent among the cultural fact of social stratifica- of social inequality and ethnic diversity in tion, its biological (phenotypic) outcomes in the country and that the Nepalese have human groups, and the evolutionary pro- been cited as one example of a population in cess (natural selection) that might mediate which the majority are ‘small but healthy’ ’’ changes in both of these. But where and (p. 4). Other notions questioned in this vol- how is the line to be drawn between gene- ume include the ‘‘vicious cycle’’ model of pov- based changes in phenotype (e.g., height) erty and malnutrition and the belief that and the changes described later in this children and reproductive-age women are chapter as potentially resulting from the most vulnerable links in the cycle. This ‘‘...genomic imprinting in utero which study intends to refocus attention on the im- may determine patterns of future growth portance of adults and physical work capac- across generations through epigenetic in- ity to intergenerational well-being. heritance mechanisms’’? Changes in phy- Part I lays theoretical and methodological sique that are heritable are not necessarily foundations, discussing conceptualizations genetic. That such changes are socially and/ of ‘‘nutritional adaptation’’ and how mea- or physiologically maladaptive is defensible, sures of ‘‘nutritional status’’ are operation- and that is where the greater strength of alized in the present study. Part II sets the this volume lies, in associations that point social context by describing the study area strongly to the functional significance of and dietary patterns and the management adult anthropometric variation. But wheth- of morbidity and health care. The two er the book succeeds, as the authors hoped, groups investigated are ‘‘Mongoloid’’ (chiefly in demonstrating ‘‘a significant causal rela- Tibeto-Burman-speaking Gurung/Tamang/ tionship between adult physical body size Thakali/Magar) and ‘‘non-Mongoloid’’ and household welfare’’ (p. 43) is unclear.

PROD #98053C 268 BOOK REVIEWS

The authors align their work theoretically by their data, the authors discuss likely rea- with evolutionary ecology, which offers sev- sons. Chapter 16 concludes with a thought- eral analytical levels for considering how so- ful discussion of their framework, its utility cial stratification of biological properties and its failings, as well as policy implica- can arise. G. Ainsworth Harrison’s 1993 tions. Appendices I–IV include question- chapter is cited for noting that physiological naires, maps, methods (instrumentation, ability which influences access to better en- calibration, their multilevel statistical mod- vironmental conditions will be strongly fa- eling technique), and more anthropometric vored through greater reproductive success. tables. However, in an earlier work, Harrison If this volume is given a careful reading, (1987) cautioned that genes in the upper so- in the context of sufficient prior experience cial classes can be favored simply as a by- to enable sound judgments on data compa- product of differential mortality/fertility, rability or validity, then its potential value not because they necessarily caused the dif- is great. Its primary strengths lie in a clear ferential mortality/fertility. Relative lack of and explicit discussion of proxy measures, social mobility, not selection itself, is the the reasoning behind analytical decisions, stratifying agent. As Harrison (1987) noted, and the demonstration of the utility of in- this ‘‘is operationally indistinguishable from sight into specific population dynamics. The the genetic model’’ (p. 755). Strickland and authors conclude that they have found ‘‘evi- Tuffrey allude to this on p. 4, but they do not dence to support the framework as a valid ever indicate how they disentangle result representation of at least some of the pro- from cause, nor prove association equals cesses resulting in social economic mobility’’ causality. (p. 215). I agree. More problematic is their A very close reading of Chapter 3 (study assertion that ‘‘If social inequality is seen as design and methods) is absolutely essential a vehicle for natural selection processes, to evaluating conclusions. Both qualitative then this . . . can be read as an analysis of and quantitative methods are used. The how processes which sustain social inequal- data set is complex, incorporating cross- ities represent short-term processes contrib- sectional and longitudinal measurements. uting to evolution by natural selection.’’ In The authors indicate where measurement any case, Strickland and Tuffrey have pro- error or other bias is likely and discuss the vided a valuable foundation for future work. reasons for their decisions regarding sample constitution and statistical analyses and in- LITERATURE CITED dices chosen. Their hope is that ‘‘the limits to methodological rigor and precision will be Harrison GA. 1987. Social heterogeneity and biological variation. Man 23:740–756. clear and allow comparison with other stud- Harrison GA. 1993. Physiological adaptation. In: GA ies to be made on an informed basis’’ (p. 34). Harrison, editor. Human adaptation. Oxford: Oxford The anthropometric chapters (7–9) are par- University Press. p 55–72. ticularly dense in tables and figures, whose quality is uneven (Table 8.1 contains what LINDA S. CURRAN must be an error for Mongoloid women’s Department of Anthropology mean height). The major anthropometric University of Colorado, Denver finding seems to be that non-Mongoloid chil- Denver, Colorado dren are worse off than Mongoloid, although we have no basis for evaluating the extent of possible (genetic) population differences in Annotated Bibliography in Human Ecology, the timing and character of growth. The re- Vol. 1. Edited by Anna Siniarska and Fe- maining chapters on energy expenditure, derico Dickinson. 350 pp. Delhi: Kamla-Raj physical work capacity, and seasonal energy Enterprises. 1996. $70.00 (cloth). balance (Chapters 10–12), followed by household economic strategies, population This book is a collection of just over 1,000 dynamics, physique, and social mobility titles and abstracts of research investigat- (Chapters 13–15), are much more clearly ing the following major topics in human rendered. Particularly effective and infor- ecology: philosophical problems of human mative are case studies illustrating major ecology, social and biological problems of points in Chapters 13 and 15. Where path- human environments, ecological problems ways in their model are not fully supported of human biology, and cultural adaptational BOOK REVIEWS 269 behavior. The book is a product of the Com- the more recent applications of animal be- mission of Human Ecology (CHE), Interna- havioral ecology to human populations, tional Union of Anthropological and Ethno- such as James Chisholm’s ecological theory logical Sciences; it was funded in part by of the adaptive significance of human in- UNESCO’s International Council for Phi- fant-caregiver attachments. And, save for losophy and Humanistic Studies. two of David Buss’s articles examining the The citations and abstracts that appear in evolutionary foundations of human mate this volume are not the result of a system- preferences, the volume contains no other atic search of journals, journal articles, or citations of seminal works in evolutionary books. Instead, the editors sent approxi- psychology (or sociobiology), such as those mately 1,000 letters to individuals and in- by Richard Alexander, Laura Betzig, Rich- stitutions requesting abstracts. Most of the ard Dawkins, Napolean Chagnon, Leda Cos- individuals contacted had been participants mides, Martin Daly, Donald Symons, John in international conferences on human ecol- Tooby, Robert Trivers, Edward O. Wilson, ogy and, for most, English was a second lan- or Margo Wilson. These omissions do not guage. The works of ‘‘about 190 persons’’ mean that the editors consider behavioral were included in the bibliography. By my adaptation outside the realm of human ecol- count, approximately 40% of the authors ogy. An entire section of this volume is de- and editors whose works were cited were voted to ‘‘Cultural Adaptational Behavior,’’ from European countries outside the United a part of which is titled the ‘‘Sociobiology of Kingdom, and another 15% were from non- Human Populations.’’ Curiously, however, English-speaking countries outside Europe. none of the works cited in the sociobiology Approximately 10% of all works cited were section appear to have anything to do with contributed by the editors or by Napolean an evolutionary analysis of human social be- Wolanski, chair of CHE and originator of havior. the idea to create the bibliography. A major concern I have about this bibli- The term human ecology can mean many ography is its title, which promises a more things to many people, as the editors of the inclusive set of works than is reported (or book note in their preface. It is to their could be reported in a single volume). It fails credit that they have restricted the scope of to reflect in any way the restrictive criteria human ecology to a reasonable set of re- used to select abstracts. Perhaps a more ac- search areas but managed to maintain a curate title would have been: ‘‘An Annotated ‘‘transdisciplinary approach.’’ Areas repre- Bibliography of Selected Works in Human sented include history of human ecology, Ecology.’’ Another concern is that, as the human ecological theory, bioethics, environ- editors put it, the abstracts selected for in- mental pollution, environmental manage- clusion in this volume show ‘‘enormous di- ment and conservation, ecological politics versity.’’ Some are well written, descriptive, and economics, urban ecology, ethnic ecol- and concise; others are not. Some of the ab- ogy, human growth and development, ag- stracts consist of only 20 words or so; others ing, mechanisms of adaptive change, envi- contain over 600 words. Much of the benefit ronmental physiology, epidemiology, ecol- of an annotated bibliography is lost if the ogy of health and nutrition, ecology of the abstracts are poorly written, if there is not family, biological effects of demographic enough information provided to convey the changes, gene diversity related to the envi- gist of the works cited, or if the abstracts are ronment, secular changes, cultural adapta- so long that the essentials cannot be com- tion, education related to the environment, prehended in an efficient manner. In the health and the environment. words of the editors, ‘‘For some scientists Although the names of some of the topic the abstract is the most important part of areas suggest otherwise, students of behav- the paper.’’ Given this stance, one wonders ioral development, behavioral ecology, and why more effort was not invested in editing evolutionary psychology will be disap- the abstracts for content and length. pointed in this volume. For instance, the In conclusion, contributions from the non- works on child development focus mainly on English-speaking scientific community give physical growth and the development of mo- this book a distinctive character and could tor skills and those on aging deal mainly be of value to human ecology researchers with physiological rather than psychological the world over. However, in view of the edi- effects. There are no references to some of tors’ restrictive methods of soliciting ab- 270 BOOK REVIEWS stracts, and the rather low response rate, it the end of the 18th century to the current is far from clear that the abstracts pub- time, and demographic patterns of contem- lished in this book adequately represent the porary hunter gatherers like the !Kung efforts of the original population of re- bushmen of the Kalahari Desert. These searchers and institutions targeted, let comparisons show that the average lifespan alone the international community of hu- for most of human history, except the last man ecology scholars. In addition, the 200 years, has been around 35 to 40 years. book’s title promises more than any such Wealth was also equivalent to health, and volume could reasonably deliver. Notably the rich in probably all periods have lived absent from this bibliography is work that longer than the poor. Even today in Western focuses on behavioral development and be- nations with socialized medicine and wel- havioral adaptation. Finally, many readers, fare, the highest social classes live about ten regardless of their area of specialization, years longer than the lowest. may be put off by some of the poorly written Figures depicting incidence and fatality abstracts. Perhaps the editors’ planned sec- trends show that mortality from diphtheria ond volume will address these limitations. had already declined by 50% before the development of antitoxin treatment, and even R. MICHAEL BROWN more dramatically, some 90% of the decline Department of Psychology in tuberculosis deaths occurred before the Pacific Lutheran University discovery of an effective antibiotic treat- Tacoma, Washington ment. These examples illustrate that ‘‘prevention due to changes in life-style seems to be making the main contribution to the rise Matters of Life and Death: Perspectives on in life-span’’ in the recent two centuries be- Public Health, Molecular Biology, Cancer, cause only about a third of the drop in mor- and the Prospects for the Human Race. By tality is due to causes that are considered John Cairns. xi + 257 pp. Princeton, NJ: treatable, and most decreases were due to Princeton University Press. 1997. $29.95 reduced incidence of certain diseases. (cloth). The next two chapters describe the history of molecular biology, from its basic In an age of information overload, roots in chemistry, physics, and biology, to whereby each of us becomes increasingly fo- Mendelian genetics, bacteriology, and virol- cused on a narrow subject in order to sur- ogy. Besides describing in simple terms the vive professionally, this collection of essays findings and contributions of each of these provides an excellent selection of facts, fig- subfields, he also explains the structure, ures, and profound thoughts on the history function, repair, replication, translation, of public health and mortality, molecular bi- and mutation of DNA. Why? Because ‘‘Mo- ology, cancer epidemiology, and demogra- lecular biology, in short, is a clever way of phy. The author is a renowned scientist converting a system of information in one with personal experience in each of these dimension (stored in DNA) into a complex, fields over a span of some 50 years of pro- continually changing three-dimensional fessional work. This is not easy, and we can system that responds appropriately to all benefit from his integration of a micro changes in the cell’s environment and, most view from laboratory science to a macro important, is capable of reproducing itself.’’ view of populations from a diachronic per- The following two chapters deal with can- spective. cer, an example at the molecular level of The first chapter, entitled ‘‘A History of when cells do not respond appropriately, Mortality,’’ was motivated by his realization due to defects from inheritance, mechanistic that ‘‘If I wanted to find out what deter- errors, contact with environmental agents, mines when we die, then I should first study virally induced mutations, breakdowns in the history of mortality.’’ Data on Homo sa- cell to cell communication, poor DNA repair, piens’ past birthrates, causes of death, and etc., with the explosion of research in this survival are discussed based on information field. There are also descriptions on the ori- gleaned from Paleolithic burial grounds, Ro- gins of the src, ras, and myc oncogenes, the man records and gravestones, the Breslau action of tumor suppressor genes like reti- town registry in the 1690’s, statistics on life noblastoma and p53, and how genetic engi- and death in various European cities from neering is operationalized in the laboratory. BOOK REVIEWS 271

Cairns then speculates on how these find- Charles Darwin and Karl Marx on factors ings may be used in the future for reducing affecting and limiting population growth. cancer and its suffering: identifying indi- Cairns’ own views on prospects for the fu- viduals with inherited susceptibility to can- ture accepts that human numbers will in- cer, screening and early detection of cancer, exorably increase, but the biggest threat to deciding on an appropriate treatment, and human survival will not be wars, nuclear linking specific mutations with specific bombs, the AIDS or Ebola virus mutating to causes like CC to TT transitions on the p53 be a respiratory disease, or other examples gene from ultraviolet light exposure. As a of ‘‘human folly or misadventure,’’ but will testimony to his foresight, recent develop- be due to the deleterious effects of human- ments since his writing have already mate- made climate change from excessive use of rialized some of his speculations: e.g. the fossil fuels. When I discussed this possibil- use of antibodies directed against the ity with friends who are atmospheric scien- HER2/Neu surface protein to target breast tists, some disagreed and said that the cancer cells in treatment, the association of earth was a complex system with great re- ras oncogene with poor survival, and germ- siliency to stabilize temperatures, and that line mutations in cytochrome P-450 genes or THEY felt the greatest threat to humankind glutathione S-transferase genes being asso- was nuclear war or the spread of a virulent ciated with increased risk for smoking asso- lethal disease. So this may be an example of ciated lung cancers. scientists fearing the lesser known in other In the chapter on epidemiology of cancer, fields. Cairns discusses the causes of specific can- Nevertheless, regardless of your back- cers like lung, uterine cervix, liver, colon, ground or professional work, there is much leukemia, and skin, and the importance of in this book that is food for thought about cancer prevention since about one third of death and life. the population in developed countries will develop cancer in their lifetime and one fifth LINDA C. KOO will die of it. He also cynically shows that American Health Foundation smokers actually save money for a state New York, New York government because they tend to die around seven years younger than nonsmokers and contribute extra taxes for cigarettes, so Creating Born Criminals. By Nicole Hahn overall, the place a lesser burden on medical Rafter. xi + 284 pp. Urbana: University of and welfare systems. He observes that in Illinois Press. 1997. $36.95 (cloth). developed countries, the rich are less likely to smoke than the poor. The former have The legacy of eugenics looms over many other forms of gratification and the latter aspects of American society, and not the ‘‘seem to have decided that their life in old least of this is in the assumptions concern- age is not going to be very enjoyable and ing the treatment of those who have been that it is not worth making sacrifices in consigned to stints in its penal system. A their youth in order to gain a few extra related mind-set has shaped the adminis- years at the far end.’’ My only criticism of tration of a parallel system of institutions this chapter is that he erroneously attrib- that had been created to house those who utes risk for nasopharyngeal cancer with were not considered mentally competent to mongoloid nose structures. Numerous epi- lead an independent existence in society at demiological studies have shown that this large, that is, the various manifestations of cancer is associated with the consumption of work houses and insane asylums supported traditionally preserved foods, especially in similar fashion by public funds. Decisions salted fish, and that mongoloid populations determining who should be housed in that do not consume such foods like Japa- which, how they should be treated, what nese or northern Chinese, have incidence their prospects were for a noninstitutional- rates as low as that found among those with ized future, and why the decision-makers Caucasian noses. held such views reflect important themes in The final chapter deals with ‘‘Population’’ American social thought. These are illus- and gives a detailed account of the differing trated in Creating Born Criminals by the views of Thomas Malthus, William Godwin, device of recounting case histories of various Marquis de Condorcet, Benjamin Franklin, incarcerated individuals and by biographic 272 BOOK REVIEWS vignettes of certain of the creators and ad- Rush’s successor on the faculty of the Medi- ministrators of the institutions in question. cal School in Philadelphia, is only identified Some of the latter are displayed as high- as the head of the Pennsylvania Training minded idealists motivated by admirable School of Germantown. James Cowles Pri- good intentions, while others appear as dis- chard, intermittently misspelled as ‘‘Pritch- honest and appalling sadists. ard,’’ long-term president of the Ethnologi- Nicole Hahn Rafter is a professor in the cal Society of London and identified by E.B. Northeastern University College of Crimi- Tylor as the ‘‘founder of modern anthropol- nal Justice. Her own good intentions are ogy,’’ is referred to only as an ‘‘English psy- very clear in her marshaling of case histo- chiatrist.’’ There is no mention of George ries to illustrate the way Americans have Stocking’s magisterial biographic treatment thought about what it is that justifies judg- in his edited version of Prichard’s Re- ments concerning institutionalization. She searches into the Physical History of Man has scoured the records to document her (1973). Both Earnest A. Hooton and Alesˇ cases. Her writing is clear and easy to read. Hrdlicˇka get their names misspelled. As a whole, however, her book is a classic More troublesome is the declaration that example of why a concentration on the de- eugenic theory mainly flourished in the scription of individual trees does not always United States between 1870 and 1920. No lead to a coherent picture of a forest. mention is made of the role played by eugen- The case histories are documented in ad- ics in generating the immigration restriction mirable fashion. Rafter consulted an im- act of 1924. Sterilization is treated in a se- pressive list of archival sources. However, lected manner. There is no mention of despite 40 pages of published sources cited Harry Laughlin’s (1922) Model Sterilization and her conscientious efforts to footnote all Law or the fact that it was adopted by Adolf her facts, there are so many glaringly obvi- Hitler in Germany in 1933 and was one of ous omissions that the reader is left in a sea the initial contributions to what later was to of details with no guidance as to how these become the Holocaust. Oliver Wendell Hol- can be stitched together to make the coher- mes’ Supreme Court defense of compulsory ent picture to which they actually do con- sterilization in 1927—‘‘Three generations of tribute. For example, right at the beginning, imbeciles are enough’’—is missing. Arthur she speaks of the influence on her of the R. Jensen and the heritability of I.Q., E O. work of Michel Foucault and his depiction of Wilson and Sociobiology, and J. Philippe the ‘‘psychiatrization of criminal danger,’’ Rushton and the heritability of ‘‘law- but her reference is to Foucault’s Archaeol- abidingness’’ are also missing. ogy of Knowledge (1972). There is no men- The mid-19th to early-20th century cases tion made at all of his Discipline and Pun- Rafter presents all fit within the context of ish: The Birth of the Prison (1977), and yet the conflict between two major themes that this is largely what her book is all about. America has inherited from its Protestant Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, the 18th past: the eternal shackles of ordained pre- century physician who introduced the term destination in the grim Calvinism of the Pu- degeneration into the assessment of human ritans and the hopeful enlightenment faith nature, an issue of such importance that good works and self-improvement can throughout Rafter’s book, is never men- bring their reward in the world of the pre- tioned at all. Benjamin Rush is referred to sent. But this is not mentioned. only as ‘‘the father figure of American psychiatry.’’ There is no mention of biographic C. LORING BRACE treatments such as David Freeman Museum of Anthropology Hawke’s Benjamin Rush: Revolutionary University of Michigan Gadfly (1971), where he is identified as the Ann Arbor, Michigan only physician to sign the Declaration of In- dependence. He was not only responsible for Dysgenics: Genetic Deterioration in Modern bringing the traditions of Scottish medicine Populations. By Richard Lynn. vii + 237 pp. to the University of Pennsylvania, but also Westport, Connecticut: Praeger. 1996. for bringing the ethos of the Scottish en- $59.95 (cloth). lightenment and John Witherspoon to the president of what would later become Sometimes the context of publication is Princeton University. Jaseph Parrish, almost as important as the actual publica- BOOK REVIEWS 273 tion of a book. So it is with Dysgenics. This and interesting observations. Chapter 3 de- book is one of a number of ‘‘politically incor- scribes the breakdown of natural selection rect’’ books being published by Praeger in its in modern societies and chapter 4 extends series, ‘‘Human Evolution, Behavior, and the argument to physical health. As Lynn Intelligence.’’ The most recent addition to puts it with regard to health: ‘‘Medical prog- the series is Arthur Jensen’s magnum opus ress has meant, and will continue to mean, The g Factor: The Science of Mental Ability. genetic deterioration’’ (p. 58). Medical prog- Praeger is to be commended for its courage ress also underlies the explosive numerical to produce books that mainline publishers growth of human populations and the sub- do not have the courage to take on. Wiley, sequent destruction of virtually all biologi- the publisher of this journal, turned down cal ecosystems. While not addressing pre- Jensen’s book and depublished Christopher cisely the same concerns as Lynn, James V. Brand’s similarly titled, The g Factor: Gen- Neel (1994) has stated: ‘‘What I see as the eral Intelligence and its Implications. All larger responsibilities of the human geneti- scholars should be aware of the new phe- cist have received relatively little attention nomenon of depublication. I have a fully in recent years. It is a great paradox that bound copy of the Brand book sent to me by the human geneticists (read: eugenicists) of Wiley. Shortly after I received it and or- 70 years ago, short on specific knowledge dered extra copies for a class, I found out concerning the basis of human inheritance, Wiley had withdrawn it from distribution. If were long on concern for the future; writing about intelligence (g is simply the whereas, the human geneticists of today, in- most plausible theoretical construct under- creasingly long on specific knowledge, fear- lying IQ scores and their correlates) and genetic influences on intelligence is controver- ing the opprobrium of an eugenic label, ap- sial, one can imagine how controversial it is pear to have retreated from that concern for to write about the genetic decline in intelli- the future. In a word some difficult deci- gence and conscientiousness in modern in- sions must soon be made, if only by default, dustrialized societies. Nevertheless, Lynn it is incombent upon the genetic-minded to takes on the task with gusto! It is a must come forward with a more holistic approach read for scholars interested in the issues to the genetic aspects of the present di- discussed. Most readers are aware of the lemma that is not evident’’ (p. 394). ‘‘imperial nature’’ of the construct of intelli- Chapters 5 through 7 deal with the topic gence, the breadth of its correlates, and thus of fertility and intelligence. This conten- the controversy over The Bell Curve. Few tious topic is well covered, and I found the readers outside of psychology may be aware evidence persuasive but not dispositive. that another more diffuse but equally ‘‘im- Chapter 8 tackles the paradox of the secular perial’’ construct has arisen in the domain of rise in intelligence in economically devel- personality. It once was called ‘‘character’’ oped nations. Unlike his nemesis James (in the sense of moral and ethical quality), Flynn, Lynn believes the increase is genu- but judgmental traits of this sort went out of ine and is due largely to improvements in style in psychology for a long time. Charac- the quality of nutrition received by the fetus ter has returned with a vengeance in the and young babies. According to Lynn, the guise of ‘‘Conscientiousness,’’ one of the Big- rise in measured intelligence does not un- Five personality traits. It is said to underlie dermine the principle of dysgenics trends counter productive behavior in the work because what is being enhanced is the phe- place and delinquency and criminal behav- notype, with genotypes for high intelligence ior in everyday life. Since it is significantly still selected against. Chapter 9 deals with influenced by genetic factors, it is subject to education and differential fertility and con- selection. cludes, consistent with previous chapters Chapter 1 chronicles the rise and collapse (because intelligence is correlated with ed- of eugenics (coined by Francis Galton) and ucational attainment), that education is the introduction of the term dysgenics by dysgenic and has been throughout the 20th William Shockley in 1974. Chapter 2 char- century. The institutional process of modern acterizes natural selection in preindustrial- societies that has most valued and nurtured ized societies. Even though both chapters intelligence apparently has the unintended have been the topic of entire books by other consequence of decreasing genotypic intelli- authors, I found that they contained new gence. Chapters 10 and 11 make a case for 274 BOOK REVIEWS socioeconomic status that is similar to that THOMAS J. BOUCHARD,JR. of education. Department of Psychology and Chapters 12 and 13 make what I believe Institute of Human Genetics to be the more original contributions of the University of Minnesota book. Herrnstein and Murray, in their book, Minneapolis, Minnesota The Bell Curve, raised what they called the issue of middle class values, a concept that they rightly claim is held in contempt by If a Chimpanzee Could Talk and Other Reflec- many academics. Lynn expands this idea tions on Language Acquisition. By Jerry H. and clearly shows that socioeconomic differ- Gill. ix + 163 pp. Tucson, AZ: University of ences in conscientiousness underlie the idea Arizona Press, 1997. $17.95 (paper). of middle-class values. He then proceeds in chapter 13 to argue for a genetic basis for Gill’s If a Chimpanzee Could Talk is a re- socioeconomic status differences in consci- freshing look at language and language de- entiousness and in Chapter 14 argues that velopment. The typical book that deals with there is dysgenic fertility for conscientious- this topic usually displays a studied igno- ness. The data base for these latter chapters rance of the ape language research. Gill is is much thinner than for earlier chapters one of the first authors who seems to have and consequently the arguments are not spent some time in the library and to have nearly as convincing. They are very pro- actually read some of the original research vocative and should generate considerable on ape language. This is contrasted with controversy and research. more popular opinion pieces passing them- Chapter 15 makes the case for dysgenic selves off as scholarly works by Steven fertility in economically developing nations Pinker and others. If you want a view of and Chapter 16 consists of a concise set of language that leaves the mysticism of Rene´ counterarguments, rejoinders, and conclu- Descartes behind and moves into the world sions. Unlike Herrnstein and Murray, Lynn of Charles Darwin and embraces the social does not address policy issues in this book, and biological components of language de- but he promises to do so in a future volume. velopment then you must read Gill. Are these problems worth worrying Gill’s title misled me because I was famil- about? In my pessimistic moments I agree iar with the quote from Ludwig Wittgen- with Neel’s unthinkable scenario, ‘‘that hu- stein that states: ‘‘If a lion could talk, we mans have evolved into societies with so could not understand him.’’ I was expecting many strong, conflicting interests that the another studied ignorance approach like capacity or resolve to formulate/implement Pinker’s, puffing up human arrogance in yet the necessary long-range planning on a another attempt to separate our species worldwide basis no longer exists...the from its biological kindred. But instead Gill population of the world will crash in various notes that Wittgenstein’s remark points out unpleasant ways. A measure of the gene that linguistic meaning is ‘‘...woven into pool will survive, but humankind will have the very fabric...’’ofourwayofbeing hu- squandered much of the genetic legacy from man, which is embodied in our social behav- the past five million years of evolution’’ (p. ior. His surprising answer to the question 397). In my optimistic moments I am in- posed in his title comes at the end of Chap- spired by the vision of scholars like E. O. ter One: ‘‘...chimpanzees do speak and we Wilson who argue survival is possible and do understand them because, at least to a lay out a plan, sketchy as it is, contrary to a significant extent, we share a common ‘form great deal of thoughtless rhetoric, a noble of life,’ grounded as it is in gestural, recip- pursuit. Lynn is a first-class scholar who rocal, and task-oriented embodiment’’ (p. has thought long and hard about these is- 26). sues. It will be interesting to see what his Gill then takes us on a fascinating schol- vision looks like. arly tour de force of relevant literature which disputes the arrogant Cartesian view LITERATURE CITED of language. He begins with the studies on Neel JV. 1994. Physician to the gene pool: genetic les- feral children and other special cases such sons and other stories. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. as ‘‘Genie’’ who was isolated in an attic and Wilson EO. 1998. Consilience: the unity of knowledge. twins who developed idioglossia. Gill uses New York: Knopf. these studies to argue that the business of BOOK REVIEWS 275 acquiring language is ‘‘not an all-or-nothing tionship between our reality and our lan- proposition’’ but is a matter of degree. guage is an interactive one. Next Gill uses Helen Keller to dispose of Gill does a wonderful job of covering so both B.F. Skinner’s and Noam Chomsky’s much territory while at the same time theories of language. Skinner’s theory fails weaving philosophers and linguists such as to account for how Keller moved beyond imi- Wittgenstein, Immanuel Kant, J.L. Austin, tation and began to use language in her in- Maurice Merleu-Ponty, Michael Polanyi, teractions with Annie Sullivan. Likewise, Owen Barfield and Nelson Goodman into Chomsky’s theory fails because it separates the book. As mentioned, he also covers those Keller from the embodied behavior of lan- who chose either to ignore the body or to guage. Gill contrasts this with the ‘‘over- ignore the active social nature of animals. arching conclusion’’ of his book, namely that He spends the last four pages pointing out ‘‘ . . . both linguistic meaning and human major flaws in the work of one of Chomsky’s cognition . . . are grounded in and achieved epigones, Steven Pinker. by means of the body. In short, to mean and The one minor point of disagreement, to know are inseparable from embodied hu- from a Darwinian point of view, is Gill’s use man activity’’ (p. 50). The implication is that of the notion of a ‘‘threshold’’ for language. Chomsky’s theory only explains disembod- The word ‘‘threshold’’ implies an all-or-none ied languages, or the kind of language that boundary. I personally find a process model appears on this page, taken out of the active more appealing, especially in the Piagetian exchange and interaction of two bodies, sense where the paradoxes of ‘‘stage and where language originates and is primarily process’’ are integrated into one. used. In the rest of the book Gill weaves find- ROGER FOUTS ings with autistic children, child language Chimpanzee and Human Communication acquisition, cross-cultural studies and fi- Institute nally Benjamin Whorf into a coherent argu- Central Washington University ment in support of the body. He points out Ellensburg, Washington the importance of the parents’ role of estab- lishing a relationship with the autistic child Captain of Death: The Story of Tuberculosis. by imitating him or her, thus creating the By Thomas M. Daniel. 296 pp. Rochester, reciprocal interaction so necessary for lan- NY: University of Rochester Press. 1997. guage. From autism Gill next looks at lan- $49.95 (cloth). guage acquisition studies that have traditionally ignored and systematically ex- In 1890, John Bunyan described the final cluded the role of bodily and social activity. days of his protagonist in The Life and Instead such studies have opted for ‘‘mental Death of Mr. Badman, who is afflicted with mechanisms,’’ ‘‘inferences,’’ and ‘‘hypoth- a myriad of diseases. He rhetorically asks eses’’ in the study of children. With regard what caused the death of this man who was to cross-cultural studies he points out that battling a number of life-threatening ail- our traditional and arrogant approach sel- ments. Bunyan’s literary autopsy percep- dom takes the speakers on their own terms. tively proclaims that consumption (tubercu- For example, the European immigrants to losis) was ‘‘...thecaptain of all these men America thought that the Native American of death...’’(who) ‘‘...brought him down languages were primitive and that the Na- to the grave.’’ The epithet ‘‘Captain of tive American adult had only the cognitive Death’’ is well deserved for the vector in the capacities of the white European child. I demise of Mr. Badman and millions of oth- have heard this same uninformed state- ers who have died from tuberculosis. Tuber- ment made about chimpanzees claiming culosis (TB) infects a third of the world’s that they have the mentality of a three-year population; each year 8 million people are old child. (I wonder how long such a three- added to this list (and the rate is increas- year-old human child would last in Kibale ing), and 3 million people die annually from Forest or Gombe Stream?) Finally, he ad- the disease. Thomas M. Daniel, a physician dresses Whorf’s notion that our reality is who has been at the forefront of the effort to linguistically constituted. Once more this eradicate TB, presents a readable account of points to the fact that language is primarily the history of the disease for the general social in nature, and that indeed the rela- public. 276 BOOK REVIEWS

Daniel details the history of TB from pre- at a time that it lacked a public health in- history (it is found in the New and Old frastructure. Yet in a time of crisis, Haiti Worlds), historical, and in contemporary was able to establish a five-year record of settings. His description of the early Egyp- 93% of TB patients completing their drug tian, Greek, Roman, and Medieval Euro- treatment. pean physicians is very informative. He pro- Daniel uses a literary device of inter- vides a brief portrayal of the physician’s spersing historical accounts of the illness as struggle to understand and deal with tuber- it affects historic figures. Famous victims of culosis. A common notion in these earlier tuberculosis such as Frederic Chopin, John accounts suggests that the ‘‘asthenic’’ phe- Keats, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Eleanor notype was a predisposition to the disease. Roosevelt are alternated with the heroes of Being underweight remains a risk factor. In the war against tuberculosis such as Koch, the 1800s, this early perception influenced Albert L.C. Calmette, and Camille Gue´rin the view that tuberculosis was a genetic dis- (the developers of the BCG vaccine) and Ed- ease or a part of the individual’s physiog- ward Livingston Trudeau (pioneer of the nomy. sanatorium movement). Although I found The author provides a nice summary of these accounts somewhat tedious, they are Thomas McKeown’s analysis of the decline used to illustrate how tuberculosis was in tuberculosis in Wales in the late 1800s treated and frequently misunderstood. prior to the advent of drugs that were effec- When Chopin was diagnosed with TB at a tive against the disease. With the develop- time when the disease was thought to be a ment of therapeutics, tuberculosis contin- genetic disease, he was shunned in coastal ued to decline and in 1987 it was predicted Spain because the locals thought it was in- that by 2010 its prevalence in the United fectious. The description of treatments pro- States would be one case per million. This vides a historical account of the evolution of optimistic scenario was abruptly shattered treatment from the heliotherapy, sanato- in 1993 when there was not only an increase rium movement, chemotherapy, and antibi- in the tuberculosis, but in a multidrug re- otic treatment. Daniel uses Keats and sistant form (MDR) of the disease. Daniel Stevenson as case studies to discuss differ- details the factors that led to this modern ential impact of disease on individuals and dilemma. The outbreak of MDR TB is re- the concept of acquired and inherited immu- lated to the misuse of antibiotics, ineffective nity. The biographical account of these fig- treatment of the disease (only 11% of pa- ures in history is in reality a biography of tients discharged from hospitals in New the disease. Furthermore, it demonstrates York City’s Harlem area complete the total that TB was the great equalizer, that the course of drug treatment), the complication rich and famous were also at risk. Rene´ and of TB in individuals with AIDS, and the in- Jean Dubos’ The White Plague: Tuberculo- crease of the disease among immigrants. sis, Man and Society (1952, Little, Brown) Frank Ryan’s The Forgotten Plague: How remains a more engaging treatment of the the Battle Against TB Was Won and Lost role that tuberculosis plays in the social and (1992, Little, Brown) provides a more lively literary history of Europe and America. The and more thorough account of how TB rose White Plague shows how TB became en- again. twined in all aspects of our lives through From a historical perspective, Daniel’s de- novels, opera, and film. scription of the modern accounts of the bio- Daniel is very effective in using advances medical response to the disease is the most in TB research to provide his reader with an compelling part of the story. Even after the understanding of the basics of immunology. paradigmatic shift with Robert Koch’s dis- He provides a primer on how the body re- covery of the TB bacillus, Daniel describes sponds to infectious agents in a painless difficulties with developing and testing a manner that the reader will appreciate. vaccine (BCG), the success of isoniazid and Daniel presents many facts that will sur- streptomycin in effectively treating the dis- prise the reader. I learned that spitting, as ease. The fact that BCG is proven not to be unappealing as it is, does not spread the dis- an effective vaccine is one of the most inter- ease; coughing is the real culprit. esting aspects of the story. Yet, Daniel ends The book could have been more carefully his book with implementation of a vaccine edited. There are frequent retellings of key program (known to be ineffective) in Haiti elements of the story. On at least three oc- BOOK REVIEWS 277 casions, the story of Koch’s announcement consideration by Fleming and colleagues of of the discovery of the TB bacillus is retold. the role of the environment in affecting On pages 84 and 85, there are the same health throughout the region. Specific topics statements about the awarding of the first addressed are water and waste, marine en- Nobel Prize. An unreadable graph is pre- vironments, soil quality, air pollution, envi- sented on page 154. However, the reader ronmental pests, occupational health and will find the glossary and endnote annota- climate change. The authors do a reason- tion an effective tool for further research. able job of addressing each of these huge Daniel deserves praise for his attempt to issues within limited space; each topic represent a readable account of TB’s history ceives a page or two. Most of the discussion and its current place in the pantheon of is highly localized with scant attention to emerging disease. The reemergence of TB how global forces such as international busi- represents a global problem that should be a ness and tourism affect the quality of the concern for everyone. Although there are a environment. In the same vein, the authors few instances in which he moves beyond the conclude with a comment that education of grasp of the general reader, Daniel usually the Caribbean people is ‘‘paramount’’ to pre- hits the target on the mark. serving the environment. De Santis offers a richly documented and GEORGE ARMELAGOS insightful review of the history and poten- Department of Anthropology tial resurgence of infectious/contagious dis- Emory University eases in the region. Age and gender differ- Atlanta, Georgia ences are noted, with infants, the aged, and males being categories more at risk than Health and Disease in the Caribbean, Journal others. Detailed attention is given to intes- of Caribbean Studies Special Issue 12(1). tinal diseases, which are the leading cause Edited by R.A. Halberstein. 157 pp. Lexing- of death in children, to vector-borne dis- ton, KY: Association of Caribbean Studies eases (malaria and dengue fever), and to (University of Kentucky). 1997. $19.95 (pa- STDs and HIV/AIDS. A sensible and per). straight-hitting section on ‘‘future control and elimination’’ of infectious diseases of- This collection includes a brief introduc- fers a concise listing of the multiple and in- tion, five review essays on broad topics, and terrelated causes of their resurgence, recog- three ‘‘case studies’’ of more focused issues. nition of the research, and policy neglect of This special issue provides a helpful source primary health care, and mention of the of information and insight on a well-chosen negative effects of structural adjustment on set of topics. the region’s ability to maintain the systems Halberstein’s introductory note offers an that were in place earlier. historical perspective on studies of health Mental health receives coverage in Hick- and disease in the Caribbean. The earliest ling’s chapter. Here, the comparative poten- publications were written for the benefit of tial of the Caribbean region becomes quickly the British colonialists, offering information manifest with the author’s statement about about diseases that might be encountered the rising numbers of Caribbean blacks in and the general state of health of the people mental hospitals and prisons in England. living in the area. Recent research, much of Although brief, this essay brings us toward it funded by international organizations an extremely important issue: the ethnocen- and often survey-based, has focused on trism and racism of Western psychiatry and health problems of particular groups, such its continuing power to ‘‘psychologize’’ eco- as hypertension. Much of this recent re- nomic and political powerlessness. Schizo- search, as the essays in the volume demon- phrenia is a major case in point. In the Ca- strate, build on the fact that the Caribbean ribbean, the African population has low region offers an important area for study of rates compared to African Caribbeans and African and African-Caribbean diaspora whites in England. The likelihood of ‘‘misdi- populations and how their health and dis- agnosis’’ in England arises along the lines of ease patterns reflect long-standing genetic Michel Foucault’s view of psychiatry being a bases, or are the result of recent cultural/ social control tool of the powerful. environmental adaptations, or both. Sobo’s chapter addresses fertility and The five overview chapters begin with the childbearing issues, including attitudes to- 278 BOOK REVIEWS ward and use of contraception and abortion, Garifuna (African Caribs) of St. Vincent as a and child health, vast and important issues, case of ‘‘evolutionary success’’ (p. 147) and again, that can only be touched on in such a provides a review of their protective genetic brief essay. Given data constraints as well patterns. as space limitations, the author chooses to This collection establishes a useful bench- focus on the English-speaking Caribbean, mark on a wide range of important topics. especially Jamaica where research (includ- The editor and authors are to be applauded ing that of Sobo herself) on these topics is for their careful work. The benchmark, how- comparatively rich. A key contribution is ever, takes us barely into the early 1990s; the discussion of Jamaican women’s under- most of the studies reviewed are from the standings of the role of bodily fluids, espe- 1970s through the mid-1980s. Research re- cially blood, in their reproductive health sults from the late 1980s through the pre- and how this model affects their use or re- sent are yet to be plumbed for their insights jection of biomedical interventions. on pressing issues such as the effects of Ethnomedical healing is the subject of du structural adjustment, increased rates of Toit’s chapter. He refers to the Caribbean tourism, changing patterns of STDs and region as a ‘‘complex ethnological reservoir’’ HIV/AIDS, changing patterns of fertility (p. 95) of local healing systems largely de- and migration, and environmental degrada- scended from African systems brought in tion. Perhaps a project such as this volume through slavery along with other cultural should be undertaken every 10 years as a influences, depending on the context (e.g., regular retrospective and prospective. immigrants from China and India). Three topics are addressed: ethnopharmacology, beliefs about supernatural disease causa- BARBARA DIANE MILLER tion and curing, and culture-specific ill- Department of Anthropology nesses such as nervios. In conclusion, the George Washington University rapid changes brought by the introduction Washington, D.C. of western biomedicine, prompt the author to argue for the importance of what can be termed ‘‘salvage’’ ethnography on the ‘‘folk’’ Genome Mapping: A Practical Approach. Ed- knowledge of curing herbs and other sub- ited by Paul H. Dear. xxv + 371 pp. New stances, traditions of ritual healing and York: IRL Press. 1997. $110.00 (cloth), models of disease causation. $55.00 (paper). Next, three essays consider particular issues: high blood pressure, sickle-cell disease, and the genetic resistance to malaria. As correctly pointed out by the editor of Stevenson’s discussion of high blood pres- the book, the explosive growth in the area of sure relies on studies conducted in Jamaica, genomic analysis observed in the last few the Bahamas, St. Vincent, and St. Kitts. years is unparalleled for any other branches Underlying issues of interest are the long- of science. This explosion of knowledge has standing lower rate of high blood pressure happened not only through innovations in among African populations (in Africa and new methods, but has also occurred in ap- the Caribbean) compared to European plications of genomic information for solv- whites, and the varying roles of genetics and ing problems relevant to basic science, environment/culture in affecting blood pres- medicine, and the society as a whole (such sure levels. Halberstein’s essay considers as forensics, parentage analysis and deter- sickle cell disease and other hemoglobin ab- mination of relatedness). This diverse normalities in the region, which he asserts growth of genomic research has made it dif- constitute a major public health problem, ficult for any practitioner to get a bird’s eye especially in small and historically isolated view of the state of this science from a single populations such as St. Lucia, the Bahamas, source. By bringing in an up-to-date account Guadeloupe, Martinique and Dominica. He of the salient features of the major practical supports the undertaking of a complete epi- methods of genome mapping in a single vol- demiological mapping of the region and a ume, the editor has truly filled this gap and sickle-cell educational campaign to raise should be congratulated for his effort. people’s awareness as Cuba has done. Craw- By and large, the effort has been success- ford examines the malaria resistance of the ful. In 12 chapters, this volume described BOOK REVIEWS 279

2 ס the various approaches to mapping, along PIC 1−a2 −a2 +a4, with providing references for the relevant computational methods. In addition, the where a2 and a4 are, respectively, the sum of three appendices also list bioinformational squares and sum of the 4th power of allele resources including website addresses and frequencies at the locus. Expressed in this major suppliers of reagents and chemicals fashion, the PIC index can be calculated required for such analyses. Several of the without the complex double summation approaches have been described in terms of term of the expression (equation [1] of p. 16) planning the study design, experimental given in this book. Likewise, in terms of ex- protocols as well as data analysis. There- perimental protocols, the readers should be fore, this volume should serve as a valuable aware that there are some simple tech- compact reference for students and re- niques (e.g., Deka et al., 1995) that have a searchers. great potential for eliminating shadow The volume begins with methods for link- bands (i.e., stuttering) of short tandem re- age mapping in humans (Chapter 1 by Cur- peat loci, which have been called a problem- nan) and in plants and animals (Chapter 2 atic feature of typing the tandem repeat loci by Miller) and then continues with tech- (see p. 6). niques such as Quantitative Trait Loci As noted, the three appendices provide a (QTL; Chapter 3 by Haley and Andersson) ready reference to many of the valuable re- mapping, use of radiation hybrids (Chapter sources for genome mapping research and 4 by Stewart and Cox), HAPPY mapping information. However, here as well the au- (Chapter 5 by the editor), somatic cell hy- thors should have been somewhat critical in brids (Chapter 6 by Naylor), flow-sorted their appraisal. Whereas the public domain chromosomes (Chapter 7 by Ross and Lang- databases from genome research are ex- ford), microdissection of chromosomes tremely helpful, their utility is truly depen- (Chapter 8 by Claussen et al.), fluorescence dent on the expertise of the users. Quality in situ hybridization (FISH, Chapter 9 by control for these data bases varies and is Leversha), use of fingerprinting for assem- sometimes disappointing. For example, bly of contigs (Chapter 10 by Gregory et al.), there are occasional discordances between chromosome walking (Chapter 11 by Ra- map locations and distances of the same goussis and Olavesen), and long-range re- markers between databases, and in particu- striction mapping (Chapter 12 by Bautsch lar the documentation of allele frequencies et al.). The presentations in these chapters of microsatellite loci is rather discouraging, are not only based on up-to-date materials, although such information should be avail- their uniform style is certainly a rare com- able and accurate for each of the over 11,000 mendable and distinctive characteristic of markers mapped on the human genome. this multiauthored volume. The editor cer- In spite of these minor drawbacks, this tainly deserves credit for this feat as well. volume is highly recommended as an up-to- Although it is difficult to cover all aspects date sourcebook of the major methods and of a diverse field, one limitation of this vol- techniques of genome mapping for human ume is the omission of disequilibrium map- as well as nonhuman organisms. Students ping (the analytical approach of positional as well as experienced researchers, includ- mapping) and the affected pedigree member ing those interested in human biology, method of which the affected sibpair method should find this volume a valuable refer- has become a successful technique for map- ence. ping complex diseases particularly in humans. In addition, the authors are some- LITERATURE CITED times somewhat uncritical in their presen- Botstein P, White ROL, Skolnick M, Davis RW. 1980. tation of review materials. For example, in Construction of a genetic linkage map in man using Chapter 1, Curran credited Botstein et al. restriction fragment length polymorphisms. Am J Hum Genet 32:314–331. (1980) for the concept of ‘‘polymorphism in- Chakraborty R, Fuerst PA, Ferrell RE. 1979. Potential formation content’’ (PIC). However, Bot- information in family studies of linkage. In: Sing CF, stein et al. (1980) credit Chakraborty et al. Skolnick M, editors. Genetic analysis of common dis- (1979) for first proposing the concept. Also, eases: applications to predictive factors in coronary disease. New York: Alan R. Liss. p 297–303. the formula presented for PIC (equation [1] Deka R, Jin L, Shriver MD, Yu L, DeCross S, Hun- of p. 16) has a much simpler form expressed driesser H, Bunker CH, Ferrell RE, Chakraborty R. as, 1995. Population genetics of dinucleotide (dG—dA)n 280 BOOK REVIEWS

(dG—dT)n polymorphisms in world populations. Am J Presentation formats vary, but they usually Hum Genet 56:461–474. take the form of contributed (oral) papers and posters. Epple favors posters over con- RANAJIT CHAKRABORTY tributed papers, arguing that posters are far Human Genetics Center superior for presentation of scientific find- University of Texas School of Public ings. With the use of minimal text and good Health illustrative materials, the poster can be an Houston, Texas enormously powerful tool for presenting scientific results. Contributed papers, in con- Organizing Scientific Meetings. By August trast, often end up as sleepers, especially if Epple. xiv + 184 pp. Cambridge: Cambridge the slides are poorly prepared (e.g., contain University Press. 1997. $44.95 (cloth), too many lines) or the paper is poorly re- $14.95 (paper). hearsed prior to the meeting. I disagree with Epple’s conclusion that these short This slim volume containing 20 chapters communications are not especially useful. and 18 appendices is essential reading for Well-conceived oral presentations allow nu- anyone involved in the organization of a sci- merous people to be informed about re- entific meeting. I had just spent the last 2 search results in a brief sitting; whereas, years as program chair of the American As- with a poster, only a relatively few number sociation of Physical Anthropologists when I of people can view research results at any first picked up the book for review. In the one time. However, it is often difficult to ask course of reading it, I found myself reflect- questions following a contributed paper, ing on my own experiences in meeting orga- usually because time has run out for the nization. These experiences were revisited speaker; posters are free-standing for sev- time and again in this book in numerous eral hours or more allowing the viewer to and substantive ways. engage in discussion with the presenter. In The book discusses the full range of meet- the bigger picture, the advantages and dis- ing types and formats, but its primary advantages of both formats provide a bal- strength is the author’s overview of the key ance of presentation, and a mix of contrib- elements of gatherings involving several uted papers and posters is the basis for a hundred to a thousand or so participants. good meeting. From the beginning, Epple makes clear that We have all experienced the frustration of the organization of a scientific meeting is attending a session dealing with a popular not for the faint hearted. The organizer topic in an all-too-small meeting room. The must have two essential attributes. First, meeting organizer has the important re- and most obvious, is the necessity of having sponsibility of working closely with the local strong organizational skills. Second, and arrangements committee and the hotel or perhaps not as obvious, the organizer re- convention center in seeing to it that room quires a very thick skin; it is impossible to size appropriate to a specific topic is identi- please everyone, and the organizer has to be fied. able to handle criticism—no matter how bi- The book provides some very useful zarre or outrageous. The organizer should checklists for every kind of meeting detail. also have significant experience before tak- For example, with regard to poster sessions, ing the job. This experience can be gained in key questions that have to be asked well in various ways, such as by serving on a pro- advance of the meeting include: Are there gram committee, by organizing a special sufficient numbers of poster boards of ad- session or symposium for a major meeting, equate quality? Are the poster boards large or by organizing a regional conference. Per- enough and the room for presentation large sonally, I found that my experience serving and well lighted? Epple also admonishes the on a program committee for several years meeting organizer to provide presenters and organizing a number of symposia pro- with clear instructions on how to construct a vided invaluable experience, thus better poster, regarding especially use of large preparing me for my responsibility as a pro- print and inclusion of simple illustrations gram chair. that address key points. It is too often the The primary function of the scientific case that a presenter simply tacks up a meeting is to present new research results manuscript with a few loosely associated in an interesting and informative manner. figures and calls it a poster. BOOK REVIEWS 281

The key to organizing a successful meet- meeting organizer are few. For the typical ing lies in the willingness of the meeting program chair who is likely a member of organizer to devote an enormous amount of a university faculty, meeting organiza- time and energy to details. This can only be tion takes away time from an already de- accomplished by having from the outset a manding schedule, involving teaching, strong sense of commitment to the scientific grant proposal preparation, writing, and so society and the desire to see to it that the forth. Unlike these other activities, meeting meeting and local arrangements are well organizing leads to neither professional ad- planned. Without this commitment, the vancement nor special recognition. Success- meeting is doomed even before it takes ful meeting organization offers a strong place. For many, the annual meeting is the sense of personal accomplishment and, in sum and substance of their society (along particular, the satisfaction that she or he with the journal). The organizer surely owes facilitated scientific advancement by help- the meeting attendees an environment that ing to provide an atmosphere conducive to engenders presentation of research results. the spread of new ideas, the discussion of The potential meeting organizer reading new findings, and the increase in productiv- this book should be forewarned that even ity of the discipline represented. with every contingency planned well in ad- In summary, I fully agree with the state- vance, events will occur that are completely ment in the pre´cis of the book that ‘‘If you unanticipated. My favorite example is a are organizing a scientific meeting this is blunder that occurred during the handling your indispensable guide’’ and should also of the publication of the meeting schedule be required reading for anyone who regu- and abstracts in my second year as program larly contributes to meetings, if for no other chair. To my horror, the abstracts, normally reason than to be made aware of the incred- alphabetized by first author, had been de- ible amount of effort involved in and specific alphabetized while in the hands of the pro- details of meeting organization. Epple is to gram publisher. The publisher was apolo- be commended for sharing his valuable ex- getic and partially rectified the situation by perience. producing an author-abstract index. The meeting attendees were polite and understanding about the incident, but the record CLARK SPENCER LARSEN remains as a permanent reminder of one Department of Anthropology important detail that can go awry. University of North Carolina The tangible rewards for the efforts of the Chapel Hill, North Carolina