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  • From: Marimike6@cs.com
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture] Major histocompatibility complex (MHC)
  • Date: Wed, 12 Mar 2003 09:34:36 EST

Dear Anne--

I think the main thing to keep in mind is that people not only inherit MHC characteristics, they develop them by exposure to pathogenic organisms, toxins, environmental irritants, etc.  A breast-fed baby has a double dose, having not only the MHC inherent in his genetic structure but that given to him in his mother's milk-- particularly the colostrum.

The thing about Amazonian Indians is that at the time of Columbus, neither they nor any of their ancestors had ever been exposed to any pathogens or allergens other than those of Amazonia. This makes theirs a very small MHC zone. By contrast, a Peace Corps volunteer, foreign correspondent or any world traveller has been exposed to a range of irritants from the entire world. Every time you walk through an airport you join the members of the worldwide MHC zone, frequently coming back with a new form of the flu as a memento of your journey.

A number of years ago visitors to odd corners of the world, like backpackers in rural Ladakh or Bolivia, used to have to take care as they could so easily infect unexposed populations to things like the measles or our common cold, which could be fatal to a population with no endemic resistance. It works the other way as well. Go to the back end of Gabon and you may very well come back with a fierce case of the trots, dengue or Lassa fever, to which you had not previously been exposed and were thus much more vulnerable than the local population.

In the global village though, the most hardy weeds that have established themselves all over the world tend to be those that come from the Eurasian landmass. Being widespread in their total range, they already have very strong resistance to most pathogens, and can outcompete other species. The white man is a good example of such a hardy weed. Purple loosestrife is another. Local populations tend to be shoved aside when encroached upon by these aggressive invaders.

Mike Elvin
Fuquay-Varina, NC

--- Begin Message ---
  • From: "Anne Schwarz" <sennaflight@hotmail.com>
  • To: permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [permaculture]
  • Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 23:28:51 -0500
Hello~
I am an art student at the Rhode Island School of Design. Right now I am working on a piece that is based on information I found in an article in the Atlantic Monthly's March 2002 issue about America before Columbus. The article covered many of the permaculture practices that the Amerindians used, particularly in the Amazon. It also covered the many epidemics that wiped out their population. I am particularly interested in a statement about the South American population's immune system being different in that it was unusually homogonous compared to other cultures.

If anybody knows more about this or anything to do with MHC types, I would be greatly interested in knowing more. I am trying to create a diagram(s) relating the homogenous MHC types in Amerindians and how it relates to the Europeans they were encountering, as well as relating it to the cultural differences between the two worlds.

I know this is tangental to the permaculture list, but any information or help people could give me would be most appreciated!

Thanks so very much,
Anne Schwarz




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