Question

Why did Dr. Dettwyler call her book "Dancing Skeletons"?

A. As a Physical Anthropologist Dr. Dettwyler's research focused primarily on human skeletal anatomy.
B. In Mali, fetal mortality was often caused by skeletal injuries.
C. Dr. Dettwyler was part of an applied program attempting to eliminate Kwashiorkor.
D. Even when disease had been reduced, virtually everyone in rural Mali was grossly malnourished.

Answer 1

Dr. Dettwyler named her book "Dancing Skeletons" to reflect the malnutrition and disease she studied in Mali, as well as the symbolic representation of death through skeletal imagery.

Step-by-step explanation:

Dr. Dettwyler titled her book "Dancing Skeletons" because it metaphorically represents the serious issues of malnutrition and disease she encountered in Mali, which often resulted in skeletal deformity and mortality. While her research as a physical anthropologist indeed focused on human skeletal anatomy, the title also alludes to the cultural symbol of a dancing skeleton as a personification of death, which has historical roots and is observed in the psychological responses to epidemics like the Black Death in medieval Europe. Her book primarily deals with themes of malnutrition, especially considering the impact of conditions like Kwashiorkor, which is one of the leading causes of mortality and undernourishment in children within the populations she studied.