Comment on: Markelein et al The Precarious State of Subsistence: Reevaluating Dental Pathological Lesions Associated with Agricultural and Hunter-Gatherer Lifeways

[Extract] Marklein et al.’s study will invigorate discussion on a number of issues in bioarchaeology, both those specific to the relationship of caries and subsistence but also those of a broader nature, including the nonlinearity of many pathologies and human behavior and the importance of variation in human responses to change. To some degree, behind these issues is the lack of (or token) engagement with advancement in clinical studies that has led to the overgeneralization of, or now outdated, links between paleopathology and behavior. As many bioarchaeologists are recognizing, with advancements in our understanding of pathogenesis and the link between genetics and disease it is no longer valid to purport singular links between, for example, caries and diet (Newton et al. 2013; Tayles, Domett, and Halcrow 2009) or osteoarthritis and physical activity (Domett et al. 2017).

Current Anthropology

Current Anthropology

60

1537-5382

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N/A

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