Ethics, epidemiology and the thrifty gene: biological determinism as a health hazard.

doi:10.1016/s0277-9536(98)00191-9

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Article

Ethics, epidemiology and the thrifty gene: biological determinism as a health hazard.

Social science & medicine (1982) - 1 Nov 1998

McDermott R

Abstract excerpt

This paper briefly describes the rise of the thrifty genotype hypothesis as an explanation for the late twentieth century epidemic of diabetes, particularly in post-colonial indigenous societies. It looks at some of the ethical consequences of the biological deterministic paradigm, particularly t...

Topics

Biological Evolution
Causality
Developed Countries
Developing Countries
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
Epidemiologic Methods
Ethics, Medical
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
Genotype
Humans
Public Health Practice

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