The Coevolution of Humanity and Infectious Disease

David P. Clark

Early humans were hunter-gatherers. Men hunted game; women gathered roots, nuts, and fruit. Our ancestors roamed in small bands, rarely meeting other tribes. Early hunter-gatherers occupied prime land with plenty of large game. Today’s few remaining hunter-gatherers inhabit marginal areas in jungles or semidesert. Thus, the early hunter-gatherers were probably better fed. On the other hand, they did not have the option of visiting a modern hospital if injured, nor of trading skins and furs for portable DVD players and candy bars. Nevertheless, with some reservations, today’s hunter-gatherers are the best illustration we have of conditions before most of mankind settled into an ...