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Joshua Yi

Anthro 102 MW 12:45

12/14/15

In the essay, Human Health and the ity!, anthro"olo#ist $a%ren&e M' (&hell dis&usses

the relationshi" )et%een ur)anism and human health' He e*"lores the ha+ards o ur)an lie to

human health in )oth )iolo#i&al and "sy&holo#i&al s"heres )y re#ardin# to the indin#s o )oth

"reindustrial and "ostindustrial so&ieties'

(&hell starts his essay )y loo-in# into the transition rom tri)al, hunter and #atherer )ands

to ur)an .illa#es' his transition, &ataly+ed mainly )y the ad.ent o a#ri&ulture, )rou#ht a)out

su)stantial &han#es to the human %ay o lie' o"ulation le.els sa% a drasti& in&rease as methods

o ood "rodu&tion )e&ame more "rodu&ti.e a diet that had on&e )een more .aried turned into a

diet o less .ariety humans had in&reased &onta&t %ith animals due to domesti&ation' hese ne%

additions to human so&iety, in addition to little or no sanitary standards, made or the

ine.ita)ilities o ine&tious diseases' he in&rease in "o"ulation si+e made it easier or diseases

)u)oni& "la#ue, tu)er&ulosis, and Hansen3s isease le"rosy6 7 to s"read easily a limited diet

&onsistin# o an un.aried died made the "ossi)ility o amine more li-ely in&reased intera&tions

%ith animals and "ests rats, ti&-s, domesti&ated animals also hel"ed %ith the easy s"read o

disease'

he transition rom "re7industrial so&ieties to industrial/"ost7industrial so&ieties sa%

another tremendous s%in# to human health' 8r)an areas sa% tremendous s"i-es in "ollutants

&ar)on mono*ide, &ar)on dio*ide, methane, nitro#en, "oly)rominated )i"henyls, sulur, mer&ury,

nitro#en, lead, and others due to ossil uel &onsum"tion, dum"in# o to*i& %aste,

a#ri&ultural/li.esto&- misha""enin#s, and others' (tress le.els, measured )y adrenaline,

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noradrenaline, and #lu&o&orti&oid le.els, ha.e seen an in&rease in ur)an areas &om"ared to rural

areas' his is due to in&reased noise le.els, stressors a&9uired rom the %or-"la&e, or e.en

dri.in# in trai&'

Althou#h mu&h has )een said a)out the ne#ati.e ee&ts o ur)anism to human health,

there are some thin#s to &onsider in order to rea&h a uller understandin#' an&er, heart disease,

and &hild #ro%th ha.e all seen some &orrelation to ur)anism, ho%e.er, the indin# are not

&onsistent rom &ity to &ity and &ountry to &ountry' his im"lies that there may )e more thin#s in

"lay' aside rom ur)ani+ation, that inluen&es these rates one o them )ein# liestyle dieren&es'

his #oes to sho% that the ad.anta#e o human health is not &om"letely determined )y one!s

residen&e in ur)an or rural areas, )ut rather, )y the &hara&teristi&s o the s"e&ii& ur)an and/or

rural en.ironments that are )ein# &om"ared'