1196 AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST • VOL. 103, No.

4 • DECEMBER 2001

War burials at Port Hudson near Baton Rouge and a case of anthropology would not have oversaturated the reader with in-
horse "homicide" in chapter 18. formation or lost their interest.
Chapters 13 and 23 focus on Huey Long, one of the most in- The final chapter is an epitaph to the individuals from Man-
fluential figures in Louisiana. Chapter 13 recounts Manhein's hein's cases who have yet to be identified. As a commemoration
work surveying for cast-iron coffins on the grounds of the Lou- to the people who often remain unknown in forensic cases, it is
isiana capitol. These coffins were believed to contain siphoned hoped that the facial reproductions and forensic profiles pre-
state money buried during Huey Long's administration. Chap- sented in this chapter will jog the memory of some reader and ul-
ter 23 relates the alleged assassination of Huey Long by Dr. Karl timately lead to the rediscovery of these "lost" souls.
Weiss and identifies Manhein's involvement with the exhuma- The appraisal of this book is intended for the American An-
tion of Dr. Weiss's remains as part of the forensic evaluation thropologist academic community, while this book is expressly
performed by Drs. James Starrs and Douglas Ubelaker. written for nonacademic readers. With an academic focus in
Chapters 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 12, 17, 20, 21, and 22 describe recent mind, the book could be useful for early undergraduate anthro-
death forensic cases and the investigation to determine the indi- pology students who are beginning their careers and are curious
vidual's identification. Manhein begins her first chapter with a about forensic anthropology. It does describe forensic cases,
forensic case reminiscent of crime novels. Her allusions to the and it emphasizes the long and hard hours necessary for forensic
"seducti ve odor forever permeating" a car and her bravado with- work. Manhein's casework accounts also underscore that in fo-
standing "the smell of death" that was "turning grown men rensic anthropology not all cases are, or will ever be, solved.
away" were somewhat cliche. Chapter 9 is a good account of a One concern of this reviewer is that the presentations in this
field investigation, discussing some of the equipment needed book encourage interest in a profession that has few full time job
for field work and some of the methods for mapping and record- opportunities.
ing scene evidence. An illustration or photograph of a field in- For the nonacademic, the book is adequate in presenting brief
vestigation may have been effective for this chapter. vignettes of forensic anthropology cases in an easy and light
In many of the chapters, Manhein briefly elaborates on as- storytelling manner. As an informative academic text, present-
pects of physical anthropology. She touches on osteological ter-
ing forensic cases and including techniques and methods of fo-
minology, fracture trauma evidence in the cranium, and the sali-
rensic anthropology and skeletal biology used in those forensic
ent features of sex and aging criteria in the pelvis in chapter 1.
investigations, this book does not compare well to other texts.
Chapter 2 illustrates the most basic sex and ancestry related fea-
However, as Manhein asserts in the introduction, it was in-
tures present in the cranium, including photographs demonstrat-
ing these features. Perimortem versus postmortem bone frac- tended to be the contributions of a storyteller sharing her passion
tures are referenced in chapter7, tooth development for subadult for forensic anthropology. m>
aging in chapter 12, cranial suture closure for age in chapter 15,
and the basic aspects of forensic entomology in chapter 19. In
chapter 1, she also touches on the necessity for a scientific wit- The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution
ness to be an objective reporter of findings in acourtroom. of the Human Mind. Geoffrey Miller. New York: Doubleday,
The greatest criticism of this book is how often Manhein 2000.352 pp.
passed up the opportunity to segue from the described forensic
investigation into a presentation of methods and techniques of JEFFREY A. KURLAND
skeletal biology used in analyzing the case. In chapter 1 she Pennsylvania State University
passes up discussing the basic methodology for stature estima-
tion from the skeleton after stating that she had derived the vic- Although our brain represents the main adaptive feature of our spe-
tim' s height from the femur. In chapters 2,12, and 21 there were cies, what it is adapted to is not clear at all. What is clear, however, is
excellent opportunities to introduce the reader to forensic odon- that, like the rest of our body, our brain is a product of natural selec-
tion, that is, of differential reproductions accumulated over millions
tology and dental growth and development and its use in aging
of years under the pressure of various environmental conditions.
subadults. There could have been more in-depth presentation of Our brain has therefore evolved at our gonad's services, as already
sex and ancestry features in the skull, including the genetic and emphasized by Freud many years ago. [Francois Jacob, Science,
environmental basis for these differences. These lessons could 1977]
also have been applied in chapter 17 or chapter 20. Chapter 6
missed the opportunity to discuss arthritic changes observed in During the film Sleeper, when Woody Allen is threatened
the geriatric skeleton and chapter 7 could have included further with a brain-burn, he responds: "No! Please. Not that. It's my
discussion of the differences between perimortem and postmor- second-favorite organ!" If evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey
tem trauma. Chapter 12 needed a discussion on the use of epi- Miller is correct, Allen is badly confused. In his iconoclastic
physeal ossification and union for aging of the subadult in that book, Miller argues for the primacy of sexual selection, Dar-
case. Photographs or drawings of epiphyseal growth, dental win's other evolutionary mechanism, in the evolution of mind.
growth, arthritis of the skeleton, facial skin depth markers, and Because fitness has two major components, namely, survival
stages of facial reproduction (such as in chapters 17 and 24) and reproduction, Darwin realized that traits that compromise
would greatly enhance understanding of the concepts presented. survival but confer a sufficiently compensatory reproductive
This was a slim volume and the chapters were generally short. advantage could evolve. Whereas natural selection favors those
Therefore, occasions for brief introductions to some basic de- traits that increase the individual's survival, sexual selection fa-
scriptions of skeletal biology and their applications in forensic vors traits that increase the individual's mating advantage.
 BOOK REVIEWS / Physical Anthropology 1197

Inmost species, because males invest little in offspring other (Nature, 1988) theory of the origin of sexual reproduction,
than their haploid genome, they evolve prodigiously exagger- Miller argues that the brain evolves as this species' most sensi-
Ited, high-risk traits for increased access to fertile females. By tive assay of deleterious mutations. Because the human brain
contrast, because females invest relatively more in offspring, uses a major portion of metabolism and biomass, as well as
they arc the reproductively limiting and limited sex. An error in nearly 50 percent of the genome, the output of healthy, complex
the mate choice can have disastrous effects on their lifetime fit- brains is accordingly a sensitive and reliable advertisement of
ness. Hence females evolve diverse mechanisms for mating se- nondeleterious genes. The mind is our peacock's tail. Its activity
lectively with the best available male. What counts as the "best" does not have to be explicitly sexual or erotic to be an honest fit-
mate has been under intense theoretical debate and empirical ness indicator, although, holy Darwin and Wallace, Sigmund, it
analysis for the last three decades. Miller advocates the primacy sure does that a lot. Rather, the brain's wasteful filigrees display
of matechoice as the key to understanding humankind's unique genomic "wealth." Cognitive and emotional productivity is hu-
suite of traits, especially the infinitely productive and creative mankind's mental potlatch. Strange bedfellows, namely, socio-
mind manifest in cultural diversity. Given the expanse of this biologists and evolutionary psychologists, validate the anthro-
topic, it is perhaps not surprising to find that Miller's book is pologist's traditional celebration of the symbolic arbitrariness
broad in scope, complex in presentation, and sometimes glib in and creative meaning of culture.
pop analogy. As his notebooks make clear, Darwin realized that a species'
Afiermore than a century, the failure to find a totally convinc- psychology is a major source of selective pressure on all traits,
ing survival-advantage for our uniquely large brain, complex but, especially, psychological traits. Sexual selection is there-
cognitive skills, and panoply of shifting emotions, which does fore an intrinsically self-reinforcing, recursive process. This be-
not apply to other animals, suggests that it is time to apply Dar- comes clear in the domain of sensory bias. The psychophysi-
win's other theory in earnest. Our minds and bodies may have ological structure and function of perception may bias the
evolved not just as survival machines, but also as courtship de- output of sexual selection. Symmetric or colorful "secondary,"
vices. Those peculiarly human traits described in introductory sexual traits like skin color or pelage patterns may arise because
anthropology courses that differentiate us from the rest of nature of their exploitation of the built-in, perceptual predispositions of
are indeed not amenable to survival-advantage arguments. Af- species psychology. For example, female mollies prefer males
ter all, what is the survival payoff of a good joke, a catchy mel- with swordtails although males of their species lack such fea-
ody, or a story about the gods, let alone narcissism and irony? tures. Sexual ornamentations evolve because they tickle the
Death to functionalism! Of course, many have offered survival senses.
explanations (e.g., J. A. Kurland, Zygon, 1999). However, Given his multimechanism theory of mate choice, Miller por-
Miller finds them inadequate. trays the mind and body as, in part, acomplex entertainment sys-
Although R. A. Fisher's "runaway" process (The Cenetical tem of extended phenotypes. Like the virtual dance of some bi-
Theory ofNatural Selection, Dover Publications, 1958) is criti- zarre mental grebe, our ancestors titillated each other during
cal for understanding the evolution of the hypertrophied human courtship not only with pleasuring genitals and eroticized skin,
mind, Miller recognizes that the kind of exaggerated sexual di- but also with the ability to improvise vocalizations, move emo-
morphism that this mechanism produces, for example, in pea- tions, tickle one's fancy. . .talk the talk. With their complex so-
cocks, simply does not apply to humans. As in language, where ciality, large brains, intricate vocalizations, behavioral creativ-
each of us generates and decodes speech, putative courtship dis- ity, and sensuous skin, cetaceans, like dolphins, might also
plays like humor, intelligence, and nurturance require that eve- conform to Miller's mating mind theory.
ryone is both producer and e valuator. Hence, claims Miller, mu- Miller speculates that by being internal representations of po-
tual mate choice must have operated in the course of human tential fitness effects, pleasure and pain allow the individual to
evolution. prioritize alternative courses of action. Indeed, it has become ap-
Matechoice will also favor those most responsive to reliable, parent to cognitive neuroscientists that the mind is embodied,
phenotypic markers of "good genes." How is "genetic quality" uses metaphor, and operates unconsciously (G. Lakoff and M.
reliably advertised? What prevents "cheaters," who have the Johnson, Philosophy in the Flesh, Basic Books, 1999). Feelings
"indicator" but lack the "good genes," from evolving? Back to are the engine of reason. They motivate human sociality. In the
introductory anthropology. Conspicuous consumption, such as context of sexual courtship, because these mental machinations
aKwakiutl potlatch, makes obvious one's true wealth. By anal- demand unpredictability and novelty ("protean behavior") for
ogy, true fitness can be reliably advertised by costly "handi- maximal effectiveness; that is, for peak attractiveness, the posi-
caps" that are therefore not counterfeit, such as seemingly altru- tive feedback of sexual selection takes over, ever cranking up
istic acts of hunting or charity. The peacock's tail indicates how mental prowess and thus brain size over evolutionary time. Cul-
much reserve is available to carry and flaunt it. Seventy years af- tural activities like dance, music, or decoration may vary unpre-
ter Boas in anthropology, Veblen in sociology, and Spence in dictably from place to place in their details, however, their
economics, Zahavi' s "handicap principle" (JournalojTheoreti- costliness, uselessness, and high value ("beauty") to humans
cal Biology, 1975) provides a key explanation for the evolution suggests that their evolutionary origins are to be found in sexual
of altruism, communication, and courtship. selection. That is, the psychology of a particular group of Afri-
"Fitness indicators" can be indirect and devious in their can hominids may have evolved due to biased responses to an
causal link to our DNA, for example, the fluctuating geometry ancestral, ape psychology. Evolutionary Freudianism comes of
of faces, bodies, and digits; so why not our feelings, thoughts, age!
a
nd behavior? For Miller, the mind is a generator of condition- We are therefore ultimately a self-domesticated species. With
dependent, honest displays of fitness. Based on Kondrashov's courtship increasingly predicated on tinkering the mind for
1198 AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST • VOL. 103, No. 4 • DECEMBER 2001

successful mating, pleasurable creativity becomes the measure Human Biology: An Evolutionary and Biocoltural Perspec-
of all things. An intensely and self-consciously pleasure-driven tive. Sara Stinson, Barry Bogin, Rebecca Huss-Ashmore, and
animal can suffer withdrawal from this primary, psychophysi- Dennis O 'Rourke, eds. New York: Wiley-Liss, 2Q00.639 pp.
ological currency. It becomes addicted to its own embodied
mind. Withdrawal generates an addiction-like symptom: bore- BENJAMIN CAMPBELL
dom. Delightful novelty and surprise ("neophilia") now become Boston University
a new medium of mental exchange and value. For Miller, these
nuances of the mating mind underlie the arts, for example, court- This collection of articles presents an up-to-date picture of
ing vocalizations and bodily movements may be the evolution- human population biology by some of the leading figures in the
ary ground of language and dance. If I am correctly reading him,
field. In doing so it not only provides a clear and comprehensive
Miller is laying the foundations for an evolutionary biology of
view of human genetics, biological variability, human life cy-
aesthetics and ethics. An audacious program, but long overdue.
cle, and population dynamics as seen by human biologists, but
Miller's preoccupation with small-group interactions like provides an orientation toward future development of the field.
courtship blinds him to specifying the social environment of the Overall, the volume represents an impressive effort and should
mating mind. How are all these sexy, talky, and eroticized homi- quickly become a standard for those interested in human biol-
nids organized? Certainly not like chimpanzees or bonobos,
ogy-
who reveal only crude aspects of a mating mind. Indeed, I would
Chapters on theoretical and historical perspectives on human
argue that our sociality is unique among primates. Humans are
biology provide an introduction to the scope of human biology.
best characterized as living in pair-bonded families, embedded
Huss-Ashmore, in her discussion of theoretical perspectives,
in larger groups of similar families with occasional philanderers
points out that while human biology's major theoretical orienta-
and polygynists. Following Matt Ridley (The Red Queen: Sex
tion is Darwinian because it deals with variation within a single
and the Evolution of Human Nature, Penguin Books, 1993), the
species, ecological and biomedical principles are often useful as
animal analogy is not African apes but, rather, avian colonists
well. Johnston and Little's contribution on the history of human
like kittiwakes and gulls, which congregate in great hoards be-
cause of mutual predator protection and spatially limited re- biology complements this theoretical perspective by highlight-
sources. In an environment of colonial monogamy, mate com- ing individuals important to the development of the field. It
petition and choice are highly activated by extra-pair bond trysts brings home the fact that human biology has an enduring focus
("adultery"), which are always possible, threatening the stabil- and a hopeful future, if a relatively short past.
ity of pair bonds ("divorce" and "desertion"). Only increased Genetics, an increasingly important part of human biology, is
survival benefits can explain the tolerance that hundreds and represented by three chapters covering introduction, quantita-
thousands of distantly related, tool-wielding, reproductively tive genetics, and human variation and genetics. Together,
competitive hominids could have had for each other. That bene- Weiss's introductory chapter on genetics and Konigsberg's on
fit is protection from other belligerent, hominid groups. Al- quantitative genetics provide a thorough background to genet-
though Miller rejects this model, I believe that only the possibil- ics, although they might have used a few more specifically hu-
ity of deadly intergroup conflict ("warfare"), as postulated by R. man examples. The human focus is more evident in O'Rourke's
D. Alexander (The Biology ofMoral Systems, Aldine, 1987) and contribution on the geography of human genetic variation as is
others, can explain our peculiar sociality. Mate competition be- the wealth of information on human genetic variation that can be
comes as much a driving social force as mate choice. used to understand the historical relationships between human
In no way have I done justice to the richness, ingenuity, and populations.
subtly of Miller's theory of human origins. His book will annoy On an organismic level, human variation as it relates to cli-
many readers of this journal. Indeed, those of us working in this mate, disease, nutrition, and work capacity each receive sepa-
area can fault him for the paucity of data, overuse of the counter- rate attention. Beall and Steegman's chapter on adaptation to
factual, and unbridled speculation. Despite my carping, Miller climate is of most interest for its cogent explanation of the vari-
makes clear that the mind, in all its rococo detail, is best seen as ous factors involved in the adaptive significance of skin color, a
an extension of reproduction not as a handmaiden of survival, topic that students are already aware of to some degree. To-
echoing Nobel laureate Francois Jacob's claim of 25 years ago. gether, Sattenspiel's and Jackson's respective chapters on disease
Of the recent flood of books on human evolution, evolutionary provide nuts-and-bolts coverage of epidemiological methods
psychology, and cognitive neuroscience, Miller's stands out as and evidence genetic traits for resistance to specific diseases.
strikingly well written, engagingly provocative, and delight- Leonard's and Ulijaszek's chapters provide a comprehensive
fully droll. We can now rethink the nature and evolution of mind picture of human nutrition and energetics, their evolutionary
from a fresh perspective. •» background, and consequences for variation in human work ca-
pacity across populations. Together, all of these contributions
make it clear that human adaptability is the result of both bio-
logical and cultural mechanisms.
The human life cycle, another common structure for under-
standing of human biology, is represented by chapters on human
life history and senescence. Bogin and Smith's contribution on
the evolution of human life history will be recognizable to many
as the latest version of Bogin's take on this intriguing topic,
including some new wrinkles. Stinson's chapter focuses on