The bioanthropological context of disease

Apparent differences in susceptibility to disease continue to be major delineators between human groups. From the vantage of human evolutionary biology, disease is the biocultural product of the interactions of human biology, culture, and ecology. These interactions are graphically represented in a working model and the characteristics of their interactions are discussed. The variability observed in contemporary African Americans is seen as having its roots in Africa and in the collective history of human origins. Thus, identifying simple factors contributing to disease susceptibilities in African Americans is considerably problematic given the high rate of inherent heterogeneity in this group and their retention and expression of various African ecogenetic variants. By focusing more intensively on comparisons among "US blacks," researchers may be able to better identify specific anatomic, physiochemical, or molecular "markers" that will clarify the diversity in clinical response of many African Americans to disease.