HUMAN DIVERSITIES

HUMAN DIVERSITIES

            After studying the origin, development, and the place of evolution of man, a physical anthropologist should focus his attention towards the different varieties of man presents on the various parts of the earth. All the living varieties of modern man belong to the species-Homo sapience.  The men of today, though differ in certain cases outwardly, are all quite similar to one another in basic characteristics. It is seen that the men found in the prehistoric beds differ greatly from the modern ones. If anybody goes to the very earlier beds he will find no human forms. This fact has already been pointed out in the previous lines. Owing to this reason it has been remarked that Homo sapiens of today have emerged from earlier non-human forms. The way by which man developed from his non-human ancestors and also the process of change that are still going on in his bodily parts is the subject- matter of a part of physical anthropology. It is generally seen that one group of people exhibits certain common hereditary features, which differ in various ways from the other groups. The Homo sapiens of the world can be divided into a number of such groups known as Race. The race its self is a problem and its study requires much knowledge and care. In physical anthropology the scientific study of the different aspects of race- its origin, types, migration, inter-mixture, racial physiology and psychology is a complicated, interesting and thought- provoking matter.

            The study of man will be incomplete if anybody neglects the importance of environment on man’s various workings. In studying physical anthropology we should know the environment has affected and continues to affect the structural features of man. In studying the diversity of human forms, a physical anthropologist gives much stress on the environmental factors. The various physical features, which are the criteria for racial classification, are dependent on the environmental conditions. These are the main lines of study of the physical anthropologist.

            Physical anthropology should not be confused with human biology, anatomy and physiology. Physical anthropology in no circumstances studies man as a standard being as is done by anatomy and physiology. Physical anthropology tries to find out the differences on the basis of physical traits. With the help of these traits a physical anthropologist distinguishes individuals within the species. Therefore, anthropology is regarded as the science of the group. Human biology, anatomy and physiology study the structure and function of the contemporary man whereas physical anthropology deals with the man mainly from the racial and chronological viewpoints. Formerly, a large number of anthropological investigations were completely anatomical as physical anthropology stood as an independent branch of knowledge when human anatomy was at its infancy. The anatomists try to generalize their observations whereas the essential duty of the physical anthropologists should be to point out the differential trait and also to analysis the causes of such differences.