Auxology
Encyclopedia
Auxology, sometimes called Auxanology (from Greek
, auxō, or , auxanō, "grow"; and , -logia
), is a meta-term covering the study of all aspects of human
physical growth
(though it is also a fundamental of biology
, generally speaking). Auxology is a highly multi-disciplinary science
involving health sciences / medicine
(pediatrics
, general practice
, endocrinology
, neuroendocrinology
, physiology
, epidemiology
), and to a lesser extent: nutrition
, genetics
, anthropology
, anthropometry
, ergonomics
, history
, economic history
, economics
, socioeconomics
, sociology
, public health
and psychology
, among others.
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
, auxō, or , auxanō, "grow"; and , -logia
-logy
-logy is a suffix in the English language, used with words originally adapted from Ancient Greek language ending in -λογία...
), is a meta-term covering the study of all aspects of human
Human
Humans are the only living species in the Homo genus...
physical growth
Human development (biology)
Human development is the process of growing to maturity. In biological terms, this entails growth from a one-celled zygote to an adult human being.- Biological development:...
(though it is also a fundamental of biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, generally speaking). Auxology is a highly multi-disciplinary science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
involving health sciences / medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
(pediatrics
Pediatrics
Pediatrics or paediatrics is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician or paediatrician...
, general practice
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
, endocrinology
Endocrinology
Endocrinology is a branch of biology and medicine dealing with the endocrine system, its diseases, and its specific secretions called hormones, the integration of developmental events such as proliferation, growth, and differentiation and the coordination of...
, neuroendocrinology
Neuroendocrinology
Neuroendocrinology is the study of the extensive interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system, including the biological features of the cells that participate, and how they functionally communicate...
, physiology
Human physiology
Human physiology is the science of the mechanical, physical, bioelectrical, and biochemical functions of humans in good health, their organs, and the cells of which they are composed. Physiology focuses principally at the level of organs and systems...
, epidemiology
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
), and to a lesser extent: nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
, genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
, anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
, anthropometry
Anthropometry
Anthropometry refers to the measurement of the human individual...
, ergonomics
Ergonomics
Ergonomics is the study of designing equipment and devices that fit the human body, its movements, and its cognitive abilities.The International Ergonomics Association defines ergonomics as follows:...
, history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
, economic history
Economic history
Economic history is the study of economies or economic phenomena in the past. Analysis in economic history is undertaken using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and by applying economic theory to historical situations and institutions...
, economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
, socioeconomics
Socioeconomics
Socioeconomics or socio-economics or social economics is an umbrella term with different usages. 'Social economics' may refer broadly to the "use of economics in the study of society." More narrowly, contemporary practice considers behavioral interactions of individuals and groups through social...
, sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
and psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, among others.
Some auxologists
- Joerg Baten http://www.uni-tuebingen.de/uni/wwl/baten.html (economist, anthropometric historian)
- Barry BoginBarry BoginBarry Bagel Bogin is an American physical anthropologist trained at Temple University that researches physical growth in Guatemalan Maya children, and is a theorist upon the evolutionary origins of human childhood. He is presently at Loughborough University in the UK, after professorships at the...
http://www.umd.umich.edu/casl/behsci/anthro/BoginCV/ (anthropologist) - Noel Cameron http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/sses/institutes/iys/pages/staff/cameron.html (pediatrician, anthropologist)
- J. W. Drukker http://www.onderzoekinformatie.nl/en/oi/nod/onderzoeker/PRS1235102/ (economist, historian, ergonomist)
- Stanley EngermanStanley EngermanStanley Lewis Engerman is an economist and economic historian at the University of Rochester. He received his Ph.D. in economics in 1962 from Johns Hopkins University. Engerman is known for his quantitative historical work along with Nobel prize winning economist Robert Fogel...
http://www.econ.rochester.edu/Faculty/Engerman.html (economist) - Robert FogelRobert FogelRobert William Fogel is an American economic historian and scientist, and winner of the 1993 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. He is now the Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of American Institutions and director of the Center for Population Economics at the...
http://cepa.newschool.edu/het/profiles/fogel.htm (economist) - Theo Gasser http://www.unizh.ch/biostat/People/gasser/ (statistician, human biologist)
- Michael Healy (statistician)Michael Healy (statistician)Michael John Romer Healy is a British statistician known for his contributions to statistical computing, auxology, laboratory statistics and quality control, and methods for analysing longitudinal data, among other areas. He was professor of medical statistics at the London School of Hygiene and...
- Michael HermanussenMichael HermanussenMichael Hermanussen is a German pediatrician and professor at the University of Kiel. He is known for his work on growth and nutrition.-Life:...
http://www.michael-hermanussen.de/en/home (pediatrician, human biologist) - Francis E. Johnston http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~fjohnsto/ (anthropologist)
- John KomlosJohn KomlosJohn Komlos is an American economic historian at the University of Munich where he is professor of economics and chair of economic history. He currently serves as a Visiting Professor of Economics at Duke University...
http://www.vwl.uni-muenchen.de/ls_komlos/komlos.html (economist, anthropometric historian) - Gregory Livshits http://www2.tau.ac.il/Person/medicine/researcher.asp?id=acdehbcck (human biologist)
- Robert Margo http://www.vanderbilt.edu/Econ/faculty/Margo/margohome.html (economist)
- Alex F. Roche http://www.med.wright.edu/lhrc/fac/afr.html (pediatrician)
- Lawrence M. Schell http://www.albany.edu/anthro/fac/schell.htm (anthropologist)
- Nevin ScrimshawNevin ScrimshawNevin Stewart Scrimshaw is a food scientist and Institute Professor emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Scrimshaw was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...
http://www.inffoundation.org/bio/nevin_bio.html (nutritionist) - Anne Sheehy (human biologist)
- Richard Steckel http://economics.sbs.ohio-state.edu/rsteckel/ (economist, anthropometric historian)
- Pak Sunyoung http://www.anthropology.or.kr/english/en_05(8).htm (anthropologist)
- James M. Tanner http://www.ich.ucl.ac.uk/ich/ (pediatrician)
- Vincent Tassenaar http://odur.let.rug.nl/~tassen/Tassenaar.html (historian)
- Lucio Vinicius http://www.human-evol.cam.ac.uk/Members/Vinicius/Vinicius.htm (anthropologist, human biologist)
See also
- Nature versus nurtureNature versus nurtureThe nature versus nurture debate concerns the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities versus personal experiences The nature versus nurture debate concerns the relative importance of an individual's innate qualities ("nature," i.e. nativism, or innatism) versus personal experiences...
- Human variabilityHuman variabilityHuman variability, or human variation, is the range of possible values for any measurable characteristic, physical or mental, of human beings. Differences can be trivial or important, transient or permanent, voluntary or involuntary, congenital or acquired, genetic or environmental...
- Human development (biology)Human development (biology)Human development is the process of growing to maturity. In biological terms, this entails growth from a one-celled zygote to an adult human being.- Biological development:...
- Human biologyHuman biologyHuman Biology is an interdisciplinary area of study that examines humans through the influences and interplay of many diverse fields such as genetics, evolution, physiology, epidemiology, ecology, nutrition, population genetics and sociocultural influences. It is closely related to...
- Standard of livingStandard of livingStandard of living is generally measured by standards such as real income per person and poverty rate. Other measures such as access and quality of health care, income growth inequality and educational standards are also used. Examples are access to certain goods , or measures of health such as...
- Quality of lifeQuality of lifeThe term quality of life is used to evaluate the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of...
- MalnutritionMalnutritionMalnutrition is the condition that results from taking an unbalanced diet in which certain nutrients are lacking, in excess , or in the wrong proportions....
- Human heightHuman heightHuman height is the distance from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head in a human body standing erect.When populations share genetic background and environmental factors, average height is frequently characteristic within the group...
- Human weight
- SocioeconomicsSocioeconomicsSocioeconomics or socio-economics or social economics is an umbrella term with different usages. 'Social economics' may refer broadly to the "use of economics in the study of society." More narrowly, contemporary practice considers behavioral interactions of individuals and groups through social...
- Anthropometric historyAnthropometric historyAnthropometric history is a term coined in 1989 by John Komlos to refer to the study of the history of human height, focusing on explaining secular trends, cycles of various lengths and cross sectional patterns by changes in the socio-economic and epidemiological environment.-Development of the...
- Rod UsherRod UsherRod Usher is an Australian author.Usher's father was American, and his mother was Australian. He is a former chief sub-editor of The Sunday Times in London and a former literary editor of The Age in Melbourne, and he now lives in Spain...