James Norman Spuhler (March 1, 1917 – September 2, 1992)[1] was an American biological anthropologist who has been described as "the founder of anthropological genetics".[2] He taught at the University of New Mexico from 1967 to 1984, where his research focused on human genetics.[3] In 1990, he received the NAS Award for Scientific Reviewing.[2] He died of cancer at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on September 2, 1992.[1]
James Spuhler | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Norman Spuhler March 1, 1917 Tucumcari, New Mexico, US |
| Died | September 2, 1992 (aged 75) Santa Fe, New Mexico, US |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | University of New Mexico Harvard University |
| Spouse |
Helen McKaig (m. 1946–1992) |
| Children | Derek Drake |
| Awards | NAS Award for Scientific Reviewing (1990) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Biological anthropology Genetic anthropology |
| Institutions | Ohio State University University of Michigan University of New Mexico |
| Thesis | Some Procedures in Human Genetics: A methodological study (1946) |
| Doctoral advisor | Earnest Hooton |
Background
editJames Spuhler began his education at the University of New Mexico.[1] He started at the university on a football scholarship, but gave up his scholarship to focus on his education.[1] After he graduated, he was sent to China because of World War 2.[2] While in China he served as a Naval officer and learned to speak some Chinese and Japanese.[2] When he returned from the war he started at Harvard University to be trained in physical anthropology.[1] While studying at Harvard he wrote his dissertation on human genetics, which was one of the first of this topic submitted to any Department of Anthropology in the United States.[1] While he was at Harvard, genetic knowledge was not used in relation to human populations as Spuhler was the first to be trained in this field.[2] His dissertation prevented information for his two different subjects of expertise: human genetics and physical anthropology.[1] Following his Ph.D. he worked as an instructor at the Ohio State University in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology.[1] Spuhler became a reviewer but never worked full time because he continued to do research in the field and laboratory.[3]
Research
editThe first study we contributed to was one of his teachers, Clyde Kluckhohn.[2] Spuhler suggested a strategy of studying the nine genetic traits of the Ramah Navaho.[2] The nine traits included in the study were a secrater factor of saliva, PTC taste reaction, anterior thoracic venus patterns, color perceptions, occipital hair whorl, absence of peroneus teritus muscles, and the number of vallate papillae on the tongue.[2]
His next project was a study of racial-ethnic differences in IQ.[2] This study was completed during the academic year of 1971–1972 at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences in Palo Alto, California.[2] He and other scholars cooperatively researched the genetic and environmental variations that would account for the racial-ethnic differences in IQ.[2] The results of the study stated that the environmental and genetic differences will not always occur.[2] After this study was completed he was hired as a chair of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Michigan.[2] He started the first two courses with a focus of genetic anthropology in the United States, which influenced further teaching of biological anthropology.[2] The two courses were called " The Genetic Basis of Evolution" and "Population Genetics".[2]
Rewards
editIn 1990 James Spuhler was awarded the Award of Excellence for Scientific Reviewing by the National Academy of Sciences.[3] He was given this award for his reviews that used population genetics that study anthropological questions.[3] There were a wide array of study topics including race, intelligence, language, relationships among species, and human evolution. Spuhler explains that he writes for the "general scientific public, whether citizen or professional.[3]" Over 700 publications have cited his work.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h "Death Notices". Anthropology News. 34 (1): 4–5. January 1993. doi:10.1111/an.1993.34.1.4.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Lasker, G. W. (August 1994). "Place of James Norman Spuhler in the development of anthropological genetics". Human Biology. 66 (4): 553–566. ISSN 0018-7143. PMID 8088749.
- ^ a b c d e f "James N. Spuhler". The Tony Hillerman Portal. Retrieved 2019-11-14.