Richard Steckel, Clark Spencer Larsen, Charlotte Roberts & Joerg Baten (Eds.), The Backbone of Europe: Health, Diet, Work, and Violence over Two Millennia

Scott Alan CARSON

Abstract


Abstract. When traditional measures for material welfare are scarce or unreliable, a population’s average stature reflects its cumulative net nutrition during economic development.  In the 1970s, Robert Fogel and his graduate students led the effort to integrate statures as an economic measure for welfare with their studies of American slavery, and the use of anthropometrics has been extended to various fields in economics, development, and economic history (Fogel & Engerman, 1974; Fogel, 1989; Fogel, 1994).  Few scholars have done as much to advance the use of height and anthropometric measures as Richard Steckel, a Fogel graduate student.  Demonstrating extraordinary creativityto bring yet another measurement tool that sheds light on economic conditions, Steckel has extended the use of stature of the living to the skeletal remains of the dead.

Keywords. Europe, Health, Diet, Work, Violence.

JEL. H51, H75, J01, J10.

Keywords


Europe; Health; Diet; Work; Violence.

Full Text:


References


Bereczki, Z., Reschler-Nicola, M., Marcsik, A., Meinzer, N., & Baten, J. (2019). Growth disruption in children: Linear enamel hypoplasias. In R. Steckel, C.S. Larsen, C. Roberts, & J. Baten. The Backbone of Europe, (pp.175-197). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi. 10.1017/9781108379830.008

Carson, S.A. (2009a). Geography, insolation and vitamin D in 19th century US African-American and white statures, Explorations in Economic History, 46(1), 149-159. doi. 10.1016/j.eeh.2008.09.002

Carson, S.A. (2009b). African-American and white inequality in the 19th century American South: A biological comparison, Journal of Population Economics, 22(3), 757-772. doi. 10.1007/s00148-007-0167-2

Carson, S.A. (2009c). Health, wealth and inequality: A contribution to the debate about the relationship between inequality and health, Historical Methods: A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History. 42(4), 43-56. doi. 10.3200/HMTS.42.2.43-56

Carson, S.A. (2010). Wealth, inequality, and insolation effects across the 19th century white US stature distribution, Journal Homo of Comparative Human Biology, 61(6), 467-478. doi. 10.1016/j.jchb.2010.10.001

Carson, S.A. (2013). Body mass, wealth, and inequality in 19th century U.S. joining the debate surrounding equality and health. Economics and Human Biology, 11(1). 90-94. doi. 10.1016/j.ehb.2012.05.004

Komlos, J., & A’Hearn, B. (2017). Hidden negative aspects of industrialization at the onset of modern economic growth in the US, Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, 41, 43-52. doi. 10.1016/j.strueco.2017.03.001

Komlos, J. (2019). Shrinking in a growing economy is not so puzzling after all, Economics and Human Biology, 32, 40-15. doi. 10.1016/j.ehb.2018.11.005

Marques, C., Metos, V., & Meinzer, N. (2019). Proliferative periosteal reactions: Assessment of trends in Europe over the last two millennia. In R. Steckel, C.S. Larsen, C. Roberts, & J. Baten. The Backbone of Europe, (pp.137-174). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi. 10.1017/9781108379830.007

Meinzer, N., Steckel, R., & Baten, J. (2019). Agricultural specialization, urbanization, workload, and stature, In R. Steckel, C.S. Larsen, C. Roberts, & J. Baten. The Backbone of Europe, (pp.231-252). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi. 10.1017/9781108379830.010

Steckel, R., & Rose, J. (2002). The Backbone of History: Health and Nutrition in the Western Hemisphere. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi. 10.1017/9781108379830

Steckel, R., & Kjellstrӧm, A. (2019). Measuring community health using skeletal remains: A health index for Europe. In R. Steckel, C.S. Larsen, C. Roberts, & J. Baten. The Backbone of Europe, (pp.52-83). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi. 10.1017/9781108379830.005

Steckel, R., Larsen, C.S., Roberts, C., & Baten, K. (2019). The Backbone of Europe: Health, Diet, Work, and Violence over Two Millennia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Williams, K., Meinzer, N., & Larsen, C.S. (2019). History of degenerative joint disease in people across Europe: Bioarchaeological inferences about lifestyle and activity from osteoarthritis and vertebral osteophytosis. In R. Steckel, C.S. Larsen, C. Roberts, & J. Baten. The Backbone of Europe, (pp.253-299). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi. 10.1017/9781108379830.011

Witwer-Backofen, U., & Engle, F. (2019). The history of European oral health: Evidence from dental carries and ante mortem tooth loss. In R. Steckel, C.S. Larsen, C. Roberts, & J. Baten. The Backbone of Europe, (pp.84-136). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi. 10.1017/9781108379830.006




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1453/jepe.v6i4.2007

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Bookmark and Share


.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Journal of Economics and Political Economy - J. Econ. Pol. Econ. - JEPE - www.kspjournals.org

ISSN: 2148-8347

Editor: [email protected]   Secretarial: [email protected]   Istanbul - Turkey.

Copyright © KSP Library