The Circumpolar Inuit: Health of A Population in Transition

Munksgaard, £40.50, pp 288

ISBN 8716 119 053

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The Inuit (“Eskimo” is seen as derogatory) are a group of races of common ancestry who inhabit an area encompassing Greenland, Canada, Alaska, and Chukotka (at the northeastern tip of Asia). Over 5000years they have evolved a culture determined by the extreme environment of the Arctic and available food sources, mostly large sea mammals, game, and fish. Contact by Europeans was made around AD 1000 but had little impact on the traditional way of life until the 20th century. About 128000 Inuit live in the circumpolar area, and this book describes their health problems. The data are largely based on the 1993-4Greenland health interview study. Data from Canada and …