Cannabis and culture

Abstract

VERA RUBIN (editor), Cannabis and culture, The Hague and Paris, Mouton, 1975, 8vo, pp. xiv, 598, illus., $24.95. TIMOTHY H. H. THORESEN (editor), Toward a science of man. Essays in the history of anthropology, The Hague and Paris, Mouton, 1975, 8vo, pp. xiv, 232, $14.95. The Ninth International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences was held in Chicago in 1973 and these books contain papers presented there; several others are planned. The first provides probably the most comprehensive survey ever published of a single drug. There are thirty-six papers, including an introduction, and they are in five groups: 'Ethnobotany and diffusion'; 'Sociocultural aspects of the traditional complex'; 'Medical, pharmacological and ethnometabolic studies'; 'Traditional usage of other psychoactive plants' such as tobacco; 'The modem complex in North America'. Throughout, there is a great deal on the history of cannabis and the book will prove to be a remarkable source of information on account of its wide range of topics, excellent index, ample documentation, and relatively modest price. It can be strongly recommended. There are only twelve papers in Thoresen's accumulation, and they deal with different approaches to the history of anthropology. Again, although of uneven quality they are mostly useful contributions, especially as some of them deal with cultures less frequently discussed: Croatia, Hungary, and India. They are, on the whole, based on historical and literary criticism so that there is a considerable amount of material that will be of interest to the historian of medicine and which contributes to medical anthropology, a subject in need of much more attention. Topics covered include historical periods, historical processes, and the work of individuals.