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Palgrave Macmillan

The Savage Wars of Peace

England, Japan and the Malthusian Trap

  • Book
  • © 2003

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Authors:
  1. Alan Macfarlane
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Table of contents (22 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxxv
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  2. Introduction

    1. Introduction

      • Alan Macfarlane
      Pages 1-8

  3. The Trap

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 9-9
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    2. The Malthusian Trap

      • Alan Macfarlane
      Pages 11-24

    3. Two Islands

      • Alan Macfarlane
      Pages 25-36

  4. Wars of Peace

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 37-37
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    2. Natural Environment, Culture and Human Labour

      • Alan Macfarlane
      Pages 39-48

    3. The Destruction of War

      • Alan Macfarlane
      Pages 49-59

    4. The Nature, Causes and Elimination of Famine

      • Alan Macfarlane
      Pages 60-85

    5. Food and Nutrition

      • Alan Macfarlane
      Pages 86-104

  5. In the Body

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 105-105
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    2. Dysentery, Typhoid, Cholera and the Water Supply

      • Alan Macfarlane
      Pages 107-123

    3. Drink: Milk, Water, Beer and Tea

      • Alan Macfarlane
      Pages 124-153

    4. Two Methods for the Disposal of Human Excrement

      • Alan Macfarlane
      Pages 154-180

  6. On the Body

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 181-181
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    2. Vector-borne Diseases: Plague, Typhus and Malaria

      • Alan Macfarlane
      Pages 183-204

    3. Public Environs: Streets, Fields and Markets

      • Alan Macfarlane
      Pages 205-217

    4. Housing and Health

      • Alan Macfarlane
      Pages 218-238

    5. Textiles, Clothing and Footwear

      • Alan Macfarlane
      Pages 239-250

    6. Bodily Hygiene: Bathing and Washing

      • Alan Macfarlane
      Pages 251-268
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Keywords

About this book

This book aims to solve the problem of how parts of mankind escaped from an apparently inevitable trap of war, famine and disease in the last three hundred years. Through a detailed comparative analysis of English and Japanese history it explores such matters as the destruction of war, decline of famine, importance of certain drinks (especially tea), the use of human excrement and the effects of housing, clothing and bathing on human health. It also shows how the English and Japanese controlled fertility through marriage and sexual patterns, biological and contraceptive factors, abortion and infanticide.

Reviews

'It gave me great pleasure, not least because it is so elegantly written; and above all it did what all splendid books should do, it whetted my curiosity' - Roy Porter

'Rewarding and innovative.' - The Times Higher

'The crescendo of a highly successful writing career...a very remarkable book by a very remarkable man.' - Peter Laslett, The American Historical Review

'In The Savage Wars of Peace, we have a rare work combining highly dense and detailed scholarship with both lucid prose and an intriguing argument for students of both demography and politics.' - Bethany Lacina, Journal of Peace Research

About the author

ALAN MACFARLANE is Professor of Anthropological Science at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of King's College. In 1986 he was elected a Fellow of the British Academy. His previous books include The Making of the Modern World and The Riddle of the Modern World, both published by Palgrave.

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