Medical Perspectives on Cannibalism; Dangers of Eating the Dead
Medical Perspectives on Cannibalism; Dangers of Eating the Dead
Cannibalism, also known by the word anthropophagy, is characterized by eating human flesh or body parts. There are various cases which involve cannibalism in the twenty-first century. Cannibalism is known for being the Spanish name for the Carib people, which is among a tribe in the West Indies (Arens). During the time when people were suffering from famine around the world, cannibalism was practiced as well as in the present time. The motives and customs surrounding cannibalism vary among cultures; while cannibalism does have some harmful physical effects, when resorted to as a survival technique, can save a person’s life.
Cannibalism is more commonly practiced by tribes as a traditional form of a ritual and can be classified into two different groups called endocannibalism and exocannibalism. Exocannibalism is described as a culture or tribe’s consumption of another culture or tribe, and endocannibalism is associated with ritual burial ceremonies of those people within the same tribe. Another well-known case among tribes is human sacrifice, the sacrifice of another member of the tribe to please their gods. Starvation is linked to many of the reasons for cannibalism around the world.
At first whenever you look at a similar story, it may have been told about the body eating. For many years the history and analysis of cannibalism was written from within a European or Western tradition little concerned with issues of power and representation. Renewed interest in the practice followed in part from Arens (1979). While someone is surrounded by nothing but other people and starts to lose weight and begins to starve, they normally result in consuming their own kind. Many of the outcomes of starvation result in a serious predicament, which causes many of the cannibalistic acts in the present day and time. Also many of those with prolonged starvation end up with organ damage or even death. Many
Cannibalism, also known by the word anthropophagy, is characterized by eating human flesh or body parts. There are various cases which involve cannibalism in the twenty-first century. Cannibalism is known for being the Spanish name for the Carib people, which is among a tribe in the West Indies (Arens). During the time when people were suffering from famine around the world, cannibalism was practiced as well as in the present time. The motives and customs surrounding cannibalism vary among cultures; while cannibalism does have some harmful physical effects, when resorted to as a survival technique, can save a person’s life.
Cannibalism is more commonly practiced by tribes as a traditional form of a ritual and can be classified into two different groups called endocannibalism and exocannibalism. Exocannibalism is described as a culture or tribe’s consumption of another culture or tribe, and endocannibalism is associated with ritual burial ceremonies of those people within the same tribe. Another well-known case among tribes is human sacrifice, the sacrifice of another member of the tribe to please their gods. Starvation is linked to many of the reasons for cannibalism around the world.
At first whenever you look at a similar story, it may have been told about the body eating. For many years the history and analysis of cannibalism was written from within a European or Western tradition little concerned with issues of power and representation. Renewed interest in the practice followed in part from Arens (1979). While someone is surrounded by nothing but other people and starts to lose weight and begins to starve, they normally result in consuming their own kind. Many of the outcomes of starvation result in a serious predicament, which causes many of the cannibalistic acts in the present day and time. Also many of those with prolonged starvation end up with organ damage or even death. Many
Cited: Arens, William: The Man-Eating Myth: Anthropology and Anthropophagy. Oxford, New York: Univ of Oxford Press, 1979. Print. Austin, Ruth. The Erotics of Corruption: law, scandal, and political perversion. State Univ of New York Press, 2008. Print. Lindenbaum, Shirley. "Thinking About Cannibalism." Annual Review of Anthropology 33.1 (2004): 475-498. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. Paul, Piers. Alive: Sixteen Men, Seventy-Two Days, and Insurmountable Odds--The Classic Adventure of Survival in the Andes. Harper Perennial, 2005. Print Sanday, Peggy: Divine Hunger. Cambridge University Press. New York, 1986 Print. Simoons, Frederick J. “Eat Not This Flesh.” Madison: Univ of Wisconsin Press, 1961. Print.