ANT 372 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Paleopathology, Pubic Tubercle, Paleodemography
Document Summary
Changing population pattern may have a bearing on modern disease and its possible causation. The rate and pattern of growth of the population. The relationship of these to epidemic disease. The whole complex interrelationship of these to changing birth and death rates. Population growth occurs when birth rates exceed death rates. Thomas malthus (1798) if a population increases faster than its means of subsistence it will be subject to the checks of war, famine, and disease. Increased material prosperity: a decrease in death rates, a consequent mastery of the environment by newly found technologies. The consequence of having people live longer and also of low birth rates in developed countries is that the provision of medical care and state support in the form of pensions is very stretched. Absolute population size will determine what diseases can appear and be maintained in a community. The occurrence of disease may limit the growth of a population and indeed eliminate it.
