Patterns of Human Growth (Cambridge Studies in Biological and Evolutionary Anthropology, Series Number 3)

This book presents an anthropological, evolutionary and biocultural perspective to the study and interpretation of human growth. Based on courses which Dr Bogin teaches to a mixture of medical, nutrition and anthropology students, the book provides a synthesis of the forces that shaped the evolution of the human growth pattern, the biocultural factors that direct its expression, the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that regulate individual development and the biomathematical approaches needed to analyse and interpret human growth. The book begins by discussing the history of the study of human growth and the basic principles for the study of human development. Two chapters are devoted to the often neglected, but vitally important, subject of the evolution of the human pattern of growth, giving a comprehensive explanation for the functional and adaptive significance of human growth patterns. Later chapters explore the physiological, environmental and cultural reasons for population variation in growth; the genetic and endocrine factors that regulate the growth of individuals; and the mathematical and biological models of the process of human growth and development. A new model of growth regulation is presented that combines quantitative and qualitative elements from mathematics, molecular biology and neuroendocrine physiology. Pitched towards an audience of advanced undergraduate and graduate students in anthropology, biology, human sciences and psychology, this book should become a major text for the study of human growth.