Data Coding Scheme

Introduction The goal is to develop a numerical index of well being (adaptation) from skeletal data. Knowledge of both economic indicators (such as Gross National Product) and health status assessments suggest that useful indices can be developed from imperfect data. Our collection of skeletal data represent a large array of genetic, geographic, and temporal groups, which permit us to measure levels of health and to investigate their possible environmental causes. Inevitably projects such as this face a trade-off between number of observations and the detail collected per observation. We emphasize number of observations (large number of individuals at a variety of sites) over detail (a complex coding scheme that records numerous features for each observation). We prefer this strategy because diverse sites enhance our comparative perspective. Moreover, even simple coding schemes, such as the one adopted here, can be very effective in representing important aspects of health. In short, we feel that the value of additional observations in a variety of ecological settings outweighs extraordinary detail on health for a smaller number of individuals at fewer sites.