Population, Disease, and Evolution

Abstract

The Study of Infectious Disease in human populations has traditionally focused on the biological factors of virulence of the pathogen and the immunity of the host. Since this type of research has been stimulated by the need for the development of treatments for specific diseases, it is not difficult to understand this orientation. The definition of symptoms, differential diagnosis and the isolation of the pathogen are essential elements in the eventual treatment of a disease. The clinical approach to the study of disease was necessarily particularistic. Although population parameters were considered in evaluating the incidence of a disease, the social and cultural factors were seldom dealt with fully. Alland's (1970) study is one of the best attempts to examine the interaction of disease and population in the perspective of adaptation. In this paper, we will review studies which demonstrate the importance of culture in the transmission of infectious diseases, and from this perspective, we will attempt to develop an evolutionary framework for studying disease in human populations. Specifically, we will examine the effect of infectious diseases in small populations and propose models which will allow the measurement of these effects.