Cannibalism : a perfectly natural history / Bill Schutt.

By: Schutt, Bill [author.]Material type: TextTextEdition: First editionDescription: 1 online resource (332 pages ): illustrationsISBN: 9781616206550; 1616206551Subject(s): Cannibalism | Cannibalism -- Cross-cultural studiesGenre/Form: Electronic books. Additional physical formats: Print version:: No titleDDC classification: 394/.909 LOC classification: GN409 | .S38 2017ebOnline resources: Click here to access this electronic item | Excerpt
Contents:
Animal the cannibal -- Go on, eat the kids -- Sexual cannibalism or size matters -- Quit crowding me -- Bear down -- Dinosaur cannibals? -- File under: weird -- Neanderthals and the guys in the other valley -- Columbus, caribs and cannibalism -- Bones of contention -- Cannibalism and the Bible -- The worst party ever -- Eating people is bad -- Eating people is good -- Chia skulls and mummy powder -- Placenta helper -- Cannibalism in the Pacific Islands -- Mad cows and Englishmen -- Acceptable risk.
Summary: "Eating one's own kind is completely natural behavior in thousands of species, including humans. Throughout history we have engaged in cannibalism for reasons relating to famine, burial rites, and medicinal remedies. Cannibalism has been used as a form of terrorism but also as the ultimate expression of filial piety. With unexpected wit and a wealth of knowledge, Bill Schutt, a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History, takes us on a tour of the field, exploring exciting new avenues of research and investigating questions like why so many fish eat their offspring and some amphibians consume their mother's skin; why sexual cannibalism is an evolutionary advantage for certain spiders; why, until the end of the eighteenth century, British royalty regularly ate human body parts; how cannibalism may be linked to the extinction of Neanderthals; why microbes on sacramental bread may have led to Catholics' to persecute European Jews in the Middle Ages. Today, the subject of humans consuming one another has been relegated to the realm of horror movies, fiction, and the occasional psychopath, but be forewarned: As climate change progresses and humans see more famine, disease, and overcrowding, biological and cultural constraints may well disappear. These are the very factors that lead to outbreaks of cannibalism. As he examines these close encounters of the cannibal kind, Bill Schutt makes the ick-factor fascinating"--
Item type: Book List(s) this item appears in: High-Interest Non-Fiction | Thesis-Driven Scholarly Non-Fiction
Star ratings
    Average rating: 0.0 (0 votes)
Holdings
Current library Call number Status Date due Barcode
Martha's Vineyard High School Library
394/SCH (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 39844500060188

"Published simultaneously in Canada by Thomas Allen & Son Limited."

Includes bibliographical references.

Animal the cannibal -- Go on, eat the kids -- Sexual cannibalism or size matters -- Quit crowding me -- Bear down -- Dinosaur cannibals? -- File under: weird -- Neanderthals and the guys in the other valley -- Columbus, caribs and cannibalism -- Bones of contention -- Cannibalism and the Bible -- The worst party ever -- Eating people is bad -- Eating people is good -- Chia skulls and mummy powder -- Placenta helper -- Cannibalism in the Pacific Islands -- Mad cows and Englishmen -- Acceptable risk.

"Eating one's own kind is completely natural behavior in thousands of species, including humans. Throughout history we have engaged in cannibalism for reasons relating to famine, burial rites, and medicinal remedies. Cannibalism has been used as a form of terrorism but also as the ultimate expression of filial piety. With unexpected wit and a wealth of knowledge, Bill Schutt, a research associate at the American Museum of Natural History, takes us on a tour of the field, exploring exciting new avenues of research and investigating questions like why so many fish eat their offspring and some amphibians consume their mother's skin; why sexual cannibalism is an evolutionary advantage for certain spiders; why, until the end of the eighteenth century, British royalty regularly ate human body parts; how cannibalism may be linked to the extinction of Neanderthals; why microbes on sacramental bread may have led to Catholics' to persecute European Jews in the Middle Ages. Today, the subject of humans consuming one another has been relegated to the realm of horror movies, fiction, and the occasional psychopath, but be forewarned: As climate change progresses and humans see more famine, disease, and overcrowding, biological and cultural constraints may well disappear. These are the very factors that lead to outbreaks of cannibalism. As he examines these close encounters of the cannibal kind, Bill Schutt makes the ick-factor fascinating"--

There are no comments on this title.

to post a comment.