Hunger: The Biology and Politics of Starvation

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Hunger John R. Butterly & Jack Shepherd The Biology and Politics of Starvation John R. Butterly & Jack Shepherd Hunge r [ The Biology and Politics of Starvation ] Dartmouth A timely and provocative look at the role of political developments and the biology of nutrition in world famine T he Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the United Nations in 1948, recognizes the individual’s right “to a standard of living adequate for the health and wellbeing of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care.” More than sixty years later, despite the rapid advancement of science and technology and the proliferation of humanitarian efforts, inadequate nutrition remains a major health and social problem worldwide. Food insecurity—chronic malnutrition, persistent hunger, even starvation—still afflicts more than one in seven of the world’s people. As Butterly and Shepherd show, hunger is not the result of inadequate resources and technologies; rather, its cause is a lack of political will to ensure that all people have access to the food to which they are entitled—food distributed safely, fairly, and equitably. Using a cross-disciplinary approach rooted in both medicine and social science to address this crucial issue, the authors provide in-depth coverage of the biology of human nutrition; malnutrition and associated healthrelated factors; political theories of inadequate nutrition and famine; historical-political behaviors that have led to famine in the past; and the current political behaviors that cause hunger and malnutrition to remain a major health problem today. John R. Butterly, MD, is Associate Professor of Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School and the Dartmouth Institute of Health Care Policy & Clinical Practice. He is the Executive Vice President of Medical Affairs, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health. Jack Shepherd, a professor of environmental studies at Dartmouth College, has carried out work in subSaharan Africa since 1968. Jacket photograph by Mark Washburn. Hunger “Nothing is more crucial to human survival than the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. In this timely and compelling book, John R. Butterly and Jack Shepherd take readers on an unexpected and illuminating journey through history, biology, economics, and politics to understand the causes and consequences of chronic hunger, malnutrition, and starvation. The urgency of the moral question they pose—will poverty and disease continue because we cannot prevent them or because we will not prevent them?—is matched by the acuity of their analysis of the ‘lessons not yet learned’ from famines in the past. Hunger is essential reading for everyone concerned about food security, poverty, and social justice in our globalizing world.” Jeffrey L. Sturchio, President & CEO, Global Health Council Dartmouth College Press Hanover, New Hampshire Published by University Press of New England Hanover and London www.upne.com “I absolutely loved this book. It weaves history, politics, and science in a way that makes for a spellbinding story of why hunger is so prevalent and—as the authors say—one of our silent emergencies. The book clearly shows why learning the biochemistry and physiology of nutrition is so important. I suggest this be required reading for every developing health professional and food policy maker. The authors’ rational solutions to this huge issue will have profound impact on future policy. I congratulate them on the clarity of their approach to this important and too ‘silent topic’.” C. Everett Koop, MD [ [ ...