I am John D. Halliday. I am writing in response to your request for
information on environmental impact on mental and physical health.
I think I can direct you to some one who may beable to help. My Brother
Jeff Thomas is the director of Timber Fish & Wildlife for the Puallup's
in Tacoma, Washington. His phone# is (206) 922-2662 tell them I directed
you.
It is intesting you are bring up this subject of increased violence when
the environment is destroyed, because he is looking directly at studying
the impact on the indigenous population in direct correlation to the
destruction of their environment, and the increased needs for social, and
mental health services. He has told me about a psychologist in British
Columbia, Canada who initiated studies in this area and wrote a book
(Who'll have to ask him which one). The thesis of his work was to try to
undersatnd why Native's had difficulty in western atnmoshere's and why.
He had tried to treat native's with no success. So then the native's
would seek help from tribal people and be cured. He wanted to know why.
Apperantly the core of his theory was that Native's were psychologically
displaced from their environment (Science Name I don't recall). So in
essence this was the cause for increased social and mental health
services.
My brother is looking into the best means of minmumizing this
devastating impact on indigenous population or at least identifying it as
a varible that covaries with evironmental destruction.
Also a good source of comparison is to look at the health of tribal
peoples at first contact with whites. Many of the first immagrants that
traded with tribal people kept journals and commented on the health of
the people. I have found an interesting book in this area is "American
Indian Medicine by Virgel J. Vogel, copyright 1970 the University of
Oklahoma Press, Norman, Publishing Division of the University. He talks
about the health of the populations and what medicines that were used. I
have found some of the information useful for psychological and
philosophical inferances.
Respectfully: John D. Halliday
Dare to be Coyote!
spilya@selway.umt.edu