The causes of aging : an anthropological perspective

Includes bibliographical references (pages 60-79)One of the prime concerns of the modern field of gerontology is the cause of the degeneration which accompanies the aging process. Most theories attempt to answer this question either from the perspective of the geneticist, who primarily studies internal processes, or the environmentalist, who is concerned with external forces. Anthropologists have had little impact on the resolution of the problem. The primary purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate that most of the modern gerontological studies do not synthesize the genetic and environmental data; as a result, their conclusions appear to be very deterministic. The synthetic approach of the anthropologist, however, would stimulate broader new interpretations of presently-known facts and focus attention on the study of man, rather than on laboratory rodents.\ud This thesis will also organize the various theories into related units. This organization will of course reflect the author's anthropological orientation. As the gerontological theories are described, they will be discussed in terms of evolutionary, genetic, and environmental (both cultural and physical) theories and in line with the recent synthetic approach, their mutual interdependence will be proposed. Due to the fact that the causes of aging have never been interpreted from an anthropological viewpoint to my knowledge, cannot cite specific studies which will confirm or deny my point of view. Information presented here, therefore, is speculative and should be regarded as a proposal for future research