title: Early childhood, the critical stage in human interactions with disease and culture.
abstract: This paper examines the continuous interactions between evolving Homo sapiens and the multiple health-related factors that significantly have shaped the course of human evolution. Early childhood, particularly the precarious post-weaning stage, is seen to be the most critical period determining survival in disease confrontations. Selection for the fundamental biological defenses predated human emergence; however, human cultures add a significant dimension to disease patterns. Specific configurations of disease are intimately related to human economies, social structure and political interactions as well as macro- and micro-environmental factors.
mesh_terms: D000884:Anthropology, Cultural; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011593:Psychology, Social; D012424:Rural Population; D012931:Social Environment; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014944:World Health Organization