Lasker G W
Am Anthropol. 1970 Feb;72(1):1-8. doi: 10.1525/aa.1970.72.1.02a00040.
Physical anthropology consists of two interdependent types of study: (1) the biological history of man and (2) general biological processes in man (such as mechanisms of evolution and growth). Popular interest may focus on the former, the fascinating story of the origin of man and of specific people, but the latter affords physical anthropology potential practical value in respect to medicine, dentistry, public health, and population policy. The study of general processes is the study of human beings in particular situations, not for what we can learn about these particular populations but for the sake of generalization about mankind anywhere in comparable situations. This is, of course, the purpose of experimental science in general, but in anthropology the method is usually comparative. Long ago the study of the growth of the two sexes and of children in different countries was started on a comparative basis as was the study of the so-called secular change in adult stature. By 1911 Franz Boas had compared the changes in stature and head form of children of several different immigrant groups in the United States. There have since been comparative studies of the amount and distribution of body fat (but not yet adequate comparative measurements of the relation of tissue components to diet and to diseases). Demographic patterns, inbreeding, outbreeding, and their effects are other general problems. The Human Adaptability Project of the International Biological Program promises studies of human response to heat, cold, altitude, and other conditions on a wide international basis. If supported, these could turn physical anthropology's search in a useful direction. The functional biology of people of even out-of-the-way communities will be compared with each other. These studies can yield general statements concerning human response to types of ecological situation including such sociocultural conditions as those of hunting-gathering tribes and urban slums.
（1）人类的生物史，以及（2）人类的一般生物过程（如进化和生长机制）。大众的兴趣可能集中在前者，即人类和特定人群起源的迷人故事，但后者在医学、牙科学、公共卫生和人口政策方面为体质人类学提供了潜在的实用价值。对一般过程的研究是在特定情况下对人类的研究，不是为了我们能从这些特定人群中学到什么，而是为了在类似情况下对任何地方的人类进行概括。当然，这也是一般实验科学的目的，但在人类学中，方法通常是比较性的。很久以前，对不同国家两性和儿童生长情况的研究就开始在比较的基础上进行，对成年人身高的所谓长期变化的研究也是如此。到1911年，弗朗兹·博厄斯已经比较了美国几个不同移民群体儿童的身高和头型变化。此后，对身体脂肪的数量和分布进行了比较研究（但对组织成分与饮食和疾病关系的比较测量还不够充分）。人口模式、近亲繁殖、远亲繁殖及其影响是其他一些一般性问题。国际生物学计划的人类适应性项目有望在广泛的国际基础上研究人类对热、冷、海拔和其他条件的反应。如果得到支持，这些研究可能会使体质人类学的探索朝着有用的方向发展。即使是偏远社区的人们的功能生物学也将相互比较。这些研究可以得出关于人类对各种生态状况类型的反应的一般性结论，包括狩猎采集部落和城市贫民窟等社会文化条件。
