GENERAL SCOPE AND USES OF PHYSICAL/BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY

GENERAL SCOPE AND USES OFPHYSICAL/BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGYCourse name:Physical AnthropologyPaper No. & Title: B.A./B.Sc. Anthropology 2nd semesterPaper –IITopic No. & Title: 1/15 Definition and Scope of PhysicalAnthropology

Objective:The topic aims to give a general background and focus ofthe subject physical anthropology. The area of study, both inthe early and the later stages are discussed. The s(measurement of body parts), calculation of indices andcomputation of statistics to the study of understandingprocesses and mechanisms involved in the problem arediscussed. In the later stage, it becomes more analytical andcritical with a major objective of developing consistenthypothesis which should be verified experimentally. Thechanging trends lead to the establishment of various newfields of physical anthropology broadening its horizon.Content & Script of the ProgrammeIntroduction:What is Man? Was he created one fine morning? Or ishe the product of evolution? Man is a social being and assuch a biological one. Over the years, human societies haveundergone considerable changes in various aspects of theirphysical, cultural and socio-economic conditions. People dodiffer in their skin color, eye color and shape, height, hair

color and texture etc. How is thatpeoplefromverycoldclimaticregions are observed to be very fairin complexion while people from thetropical regions dark? What wouldbe the skin color of a child, if one ofthe parents belongs to the Negroidrace while the other a Caucasoid orMongoloidrace?Racismisthediscrimination based on body traits like skin color, bloodetc. Does any pure race exist at all? No scientist can tellyour race from a drop of yourblood. Is this quality dependentuponthemarriagepattern,inbreeding or outbreeding practicedby the society? How can inbreedingbe measured? How can the risk ofhavinganomaliesbepredicted?Genetic disorders in a family andpopulation level can be detected by

various techniques. Now, one can also compare andcomprehend genetic diversity in population with referenceto normal and abnormal trait variation.Physicalgrowthanddevelopment is a natural andcontinuousprocess.Food,nutrition and exercise have nutrition be detected? Is there an ideal growth standardfor Indian children? What are the temporal and secularchanges observed in growth patterns? What are themethods and techniques available to study and assess thegrowth rate? Is there an age specific growth? It is observedthat among the old people there is retardation in growthpattern.Such a list of questions could be extended stretching toany number of areas and disciplines as far as their relationto man is concerned. The attempts to put together all thesejigsaw puzzle of man as a biological being in his past,presentandthefutureisdealtbythebranchof

porary context the term Physical anthropology andBiological anthropology are synonymous.Definition of Physical Anthropology:The emergence of anthropology asa branch of science goes back to theremote past. But Aristotle was giventhe credit in the 16th century only forcoining the term anthropology. Thedevelopment of Physical anthropologyasanorganizedandsystematicdiscipline started in the 2nd half of the19th century.Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, aGermanphysician(1752-1840)isregarded as the father of Physicalanthropology. Physical anthropology isthe oldest branch of anthropology,which was established much earlierthan the other branches. It is thestudy of man as a living organism. The important aspects

studied in this branch of anthropology are human biology,human variation and human evolution.Paul Broca (1871) defined Physical anthropology as ered as a whole, in its parts and in relationship to therest of nature.Juan Comas (1968) defined Physical anthropology as abiological science that deals with the origin, developmentand varieties of man as a member of the animal kingdom.It is concerned with the biological basis of man’s ability touse culture, the evolution of this ability, its presentdevelopment and its feature.Scope of Physical Anthropology:The study of Physical anthropology in the early periodwas characterized by anthropometric studies (measurementof body parts), calculation of indices and computation ofstatistics. The purpose of old or early period studies wereprimarily classification and correlation by which it was

thoughtthatthedescriptionanddifferences was enough for solvingthe problem. As such there was noplacefortheorybecauseitwasrealized that the facts speak aofmerespeculation. Anthropologists of oldenperiod were only satisfied with the reporting of variationsuch as the size and shape of brow ridges, form of the nose,growth in the pre-maxillary suture, evolution of lower jaw,genetic structure of population etc., as facts by observationand measurement and never went into the causative factors.A new chapter in the study of Physical anthropology wasopened in the year 1900 as at thattime Mendel’s law of Inheritance wasdeveloped. In course of time the studyof Physical anthropology became morespecialized with newer inventions anddiscoveries. The angle of vision of thescholars is being changed considerably.This new achievement in Physical anthropology is the result

of the direct cause of complete re-orientation in some of thefield of study. Anthropologists of later or new period aremainly interested in understanding the processes andmechanisms involved in the problem. Here the theory iscritical and the major objective is to develop tally.Therefore the interpretation involved the tasks of testing thehypothesis and its validity. So the new period of Physicalanthropology begins where the old period ends. Though theaims and interest of both the traditions are the same, theemphasis of new period is re-orientation in methodologycomprehension and interpretation.The new period anthropologistshave started investigations into anumber of new areas to understandgeneticrelationshipandtotracepossible ancestors. It also studies thedynamics of diversity of mankindthat includes bio-chemical, Human

ndofasselection,Genetic drift and Gene flow andPrimatebiologyinvolvingthestudy of blood group, geneticsand local evolutionary factors ofnon human primates such as monkeys and apes. A largenumber of dimensions of academic research and appliedimportance of Physical anthropology have developed into anumber of specialized fields. Mention may be made ofHuman population genetics, Genetic demography or angrowth and development, Human bio-chemical genetics,Forensic anthropology, Human cytogenetics, Ecology nalanthropology, Dermatoglyphics, Physiological anthropology,Primatology, Medical anthropology, Kinanthropology, Geneticengineering, Twins study, Molecular anthropology, Neuroanthropology, Human osteology etc.

Physical anthropologists are interested in studyingprimates, the close relative of man, from different anglesfordifferentreasons.Itisstudied in relation to heirbehavior both in natural settingand laboratory and fossil remainssoastounderstandtheevolutionary stages and certain fundamental aspects onman. The study of fossil remains gives the evidence of s. The study of pithecus,Homo erectus and other Hominidfossils is used in tracing theevolution of mankind. By themethodofreconstruction,thephysical appearances and rudimentary cultural features ofthe ancestors of human are derived. The study oftransmission from every pre-hominid to a hominid stage ischaracterized by a change to a fully erect posture,

bipedalism, teeth structure and jaw structure, sagittalcrest, relative height and brain size of the species,opposable thumb and the prolongation of immaturity. Theancestor of modern man Homo sapiens had existed forapproximately the past 50,000 years. The anatomical ions of years have produced this species of mankind.Physical anthropology used the general principle ofbiology and utilized the finding of anatomy, Physiology,Embryology, Zoology etc. It studies the origin andevolution of man, man’s physical character and form ofdiversity. The theories of Lamarckism, Darwinism andModern Synthesis which are derived from the biologicalform are useful in explaining the evolutionary process ofman. It also analyses the bio-social adaptation of differenthuman population living in different geographical andecological zones. The effect of adaptation to high altitudes,heat and cold stress tolerance on different geographicalpopulation will help in finding out the ways and means ofcombating the bio-chemical and physiological changes inthe human body.

The general laws and principles applied to the study ofhuman genetics as a field of Physical anthropology arederived from the study of plants and animals. It helps inunderstanding the processes of replication and variationamong human population. It also helps in analyzing thematter of inheritance of diseases, normal and abnormalcharacteristics, to know the cause of human variationsboth individual and racial. The study of human racesinvolves the consideration of the present day frequenciesof human physical characteristics as well as the ization, Isolation etc. which are brought about byspecific adaptation to the natural environment in theregion they live. On the basis of the differences inphenotypic and genotypic characters such as Serology,Dermatoglyphics, Anthropometry etc. classification of thehuman population is made into races, ethnic groups, andMendelian populations or endogamous groups. It tries toerase the myth regarding the concept of racism, theconcept of pure and impure, inferior or superior race andattempts to establish the principles of classification. One ofthe best classifications of human population is derived

from the knowledge of human genetics.Another trend is the study of blood groups. Bloodgroups were discovered in the course of experiment oncross reaction between the bloods of different individuals.Themainmedicalsignificance has to this tthetoForbloodgroup is considered as anideal indicator of historicalconnection between ion and origin ofthe population that livedthousands of years ago astheirproportionremainsstable from generation to generation. It is also utilized ingenetic counseling to partners entering into marriage toknow their blood groups and their compatibilities andincompatibilities. It also used in medico-legal cases of

paternity dispute and to persons belonging to differentblood groups who are prone to different diseases such as‘A’ group person to lungs diseases, ‘B’ to rheumatic fever,‘O’ to duodenal and peptic ulcers and ‘AB’ to leprosy etc.to take precaution with necessary regard to diet andinfection. In modern clinical genetics the analysis of multifactorial genetic system is of increasing importance.Investigation on blood group supports the hypothesis thatindividuals with blood group ‘O’ are little more fit thanthose with blood group ‘A’. People with ‘O’ blood grouphave longer life expectancy.Anthropometry, the science of measurement of thehuman body has traditionally been concerned with thestudy of human evolution and theformation and differentiation of raceof mankind. Great emphasis hasbeen given by the anthropologist tostandardizethevariousmeasurements on the living andalso on the skeleton.SomatotypesystemSheldon’smayberegarded as an important advancement in this connection.