To reply to a digest, insert the relevant message header; don't reply to the digest header ------------------------------------------------------------- Sometimes we could use a simple, well-structured but comprehensive document that sums up our rationale for our attraction or commitment to aspects of life in the late Pleistocene. Back in 1973, thirty years ago (fifteen years before those two other great benchmarks, Boyd Eaton's The Paleolithic Prescription and 22 years before Ray Audette's Neanderthin), Stephen Boyden published his 'Evolution and Health'. To the best of my knowledge, this was the earliest significant synthesis of human health - physiological, psychological and social - with the environment in an evolutionary context. Boyden's paper remains an excellent overview as it assumes no prior special knowledge from the reader: http://www.evfit.com/boyden_1973.htm As I read through his paper I took myself back to what I was thinking in 1973 (superficial, woolly nonsense in the aftermath of the Woodstock experience - hey, I got married in 1973!), so I can see why his pathbreaking thesis went almost unnoticed. It may not suit all purposes and all readers as it is not a journalistic introduction. Boyden is direct, rigorous and scholarly rather than 'popular' as he focuses on evolution, not physical activity or nutrition, though he mentions these. He produced an historical milestone that still stands up today and deserves wider recognition. I hope you find it useful and interesting in the history of ideas. I have added it to this list's FAQ. Keith ----------------------------------------------------------------- The FAQ for Evolutionary Fitness is at http://www.evfit.com/faq.htm To unsubscribe from the list send an e-mail to [log in to unmask] with the words SIGNOFF EVOLUTIONARY-FITNESS in the _body_ of the e-mail.