On Sat, 10 Jan 1998, Automatic digest processor wrote:

>
> Topics of the day:
>
>   1. Teeth
>
> One of the most common arguments advanced by advocates of vegetarianism,
> and by some other commentators on health, is that humans evolved as
> vegetarian or mostly-vegetarians.  The most frequently forwarded argument
> to advance this position is that human tooth and jaw structrure are clearly
> those of herbivores, with flat molars, excellent sideways chewing motion,
> and with a clear lack of sharp teeth for killing prey.
>

As a biological anthropologist with an interest in teeth and function, let
me take a stab at this argument.  First, there is plenty (and growing)
evidence that humans evolved with a very generalized rather than
"vegetarian or mostly-vegetarian" diet.  This evidence is based on stable
isotope analysis, trace element analysis, microwear, archaeological
remains, etc.  Regarding teeth, my take on the evidence is that the human
dentition is adapted especially for generalized diet ranging in some
populations that consume a great deal of plant foods to some populations
consuming a heck of a lot of meat (e.g., traditional Eskimos).  Although
I've been studying humans, their past remains, and diet for a couple of
decades, I am always struck by the amazing variability in diets, past and
present, and the remarkable versatility of the dentition.  Although the
argument can be made that humans lack a canine that can be used for
cutting--or for killing prey--the additional versatility of culture and
technology provides more than sufficient means for acquisition of food via
hunting.  The point here is not that the human dentition and jaw structure
is not adapted to consumption of plant foods, but rather than the
dentition and jaws a adapted to a wide range of foodstuffs.

        Some key resources that readers may want to look at are:

(1) Conroy, Glenn C. (1990)  Primate Evolution.  New York: Norton.

(2) Conroy, Glenn C. (1997)  Reconstructing Human Origins.  New York:
Norton.

(3) Hillson, Simon  (1986)  Teeth.  Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press.

(4) Hillson, Simon  (1996)  Dental Anthropology.  Cambridge: Cambridge
Unv. Press.

For information on dietary reconstruction in ancient bones and teeth, I
present an overview in:

(5) Larsen, Clark Spencer (1997) Bioarchaeology: Interpreting Behavior
from the Human Skeleton.  Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

There is a great deal of information in the biological anthropology and
paleoanthropology literature on past diet and adaptation.  I think most
will come to the conclusion that advocates of vegetarianism have a too
simplistic perspective on adaptation, at least with respect to the
masticatory apparatus.  From my perspective, it is the complexity of the
issue, however, that makes the problem interesting and exciting,
especially when it comes to human origins and evolution.