Hygieia says but of course, and bows to Thomas McKeown

[oursin]

Via something that was being circulated at work yesterday: The Changing Body: Health, Nutrition, and Human Development in the Western World since 1700:

Humans have become much taller and heavier, and experience healthier and longer lives than ever before in human history. However it is only recently that historians, economists, human biologists and demographers have linked the changing size, shape and capability of the human body to economic and demographic change. This fascinating and groundbreaking book presents an accessible introduction to the field of anthropometric history, surveying the causes and consequences of changes in health and mortality, diet and the disease environment in Europe and the United States since 1700. It examines how we define and measure health and nutrition as well as key issues such as whether increased longevity contributes to greater productivity or, instead, imposes burdens on society through the higher costs of healthcare and pensions. The result is a major contribution to economic and social history with important implications for today's developing world and the health trends of the future.

Useful article about it in The Independent draws out the really significant role of diet and sanitation.

Compare/contract this column on the outcome of all that much trumpeted and very expensive work on the human genome:

Among all the genetic findings for common illnesses, such as heart disease, cancer and mental illnesses, only a handful are of genuine significance for human health. Faulty genes rarely cause, or even mildly predispose us, to disease, and as a consequence the science of human genetics is in deep crisis.
....
[D]espite more than 700 genome-scanning publications and nearly $100bn spent, geneticists still had not found more than a fractional genetic basis for human disease.

Humanities and history for the win?

***

And in other news:

Lucy Mangan raves over A Game of Kings.

Deadly false morel fungus is discovered living on Hampstead Heath - previously unknown in London

Via heleninwales, yet more interior designery book ponceyness

And, if you can help in this dire situation by buying a book from Norilana Press or passing this on, please do.

Comments

[anehan]

They serve that fungus in restaurants here, but I'm not brave enough to eat it.

[staranise]

Oooh, I like the idea behind the "Nest" shelf a lot, actually, though not for books. Yarn, wine bottles, anything else, especially if it's round--it looks like a nice space-saver, and I'm always in favour of those.

[rydra_wong]

Also, it looks like some kind of alien fungus/cocoon is descending from the ceiling, which is obviously a plus.

[staranise]

Well, in my mind I had already redesigned it with a cleaner look and better fabrics. Excuse ME if your telepathy is a little off today! :P

[rydra_wong]

Are you saying that you don't want an alien cocoon in your house? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU ???!?! *g*

(My comment above was made without sarcasm. I like the whole descending cocoon thing it's got going there. I agree, not ideal for books, though.)

[staranise]

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU ???!?!

A phobia of insects, naturally! I will have to live my life without the charming influence of larval chic.

[rydra_wong]

Okay. In that case, you are officially excused from having alien cocoons in your living room.

[gillo]

Much as I love the idea of a TV series based on Lymond, I tthink you may have meant A Game of Thrones?

Those shelves mostly look as if they are for people who see books as ornaments rather than household essentials. Even the pod looks cramped to me, and taking up way too much space for too little book storage.

[rosinarowantree.livejournal.com]

I would love A Game of Kings so much - although Peter O'Toole is probably too old by now ...

[kore]

Oh, that book sounds neat!

"Insanely" creative, sigh (may be hypersensitive to this usage at the moment, on first cup of tea). I um, kind of like the 'READ' shelf. But my cats would be able to destroy all the other shelves within about five minutes.

it's a learning crisis

[auroramama]

A science having a crisis just means there's more to understand. It's not like a credit crisis. There's information in the human genome about health and sickness, youth and aging -- but it's not a magic bullet vending machine, because the genome isn't a string of genes that code for enzymes that are used to do one identifiable thing. The genome has the properties of information, but it's also a physical thing with physical and chemical properties, and the body uses all those attributes at once. It's a blueprint and it's working, self-correcting code and it's a slide rule and a measuring tape, and the most important processes are the ones that determine which genes get turned on when, and that provide negative feedback loops to maintain homeostasis. There's no gene for (most forms of) autism, but there are some stretches of repeated non-protein-coding sequences where too many copies predispose to autism. Do we understand how? Not hardly! Isn't it cool?

I'm disappointed too, of course, that there wasn't a flood of easy fixes. But knowing how it really works had to start here. It's always more complicated. (And all true wealth is biological.)

Re: it's a learning crisis

[oursin]

I suspect that this problem is at least as much about journalistic narratives requiring simplistic accounts of 'Breakthrough!' and 'Magic Bullet!' as it is about issues specific to any scientific field.

Re: it's a learning crisis

[(Anonymous)]

Oh, yes. Is there such a thing as a new journalistic storyline, or are we stuck with the same dreary round forever?

[wordweaverlynn]

The body book sounds fascinating.

The bookshelves are scary. But then not having access to enough books is frightening to me.