© Columbia University Press
Craving Earth: Understanding Pica--the Urge to Eat Clay, Starch, Ice, and Chalk
Paper, 240 pages, 20 halftones, 16 line drawings, 3 tables
ISBN: 978-0-231-14609-8
$22.50
/ £15.50
February, 2011
Cloth, 240 pages, 20 halftones, 16 line drawings, 3 tables
ISBN: 978-0-231-14608-1
$29.50
/ £19.50
List of Illustrations
Preface
Part I: All About Pica
1. What on Earth?
The Pica Substances
"A devouring passion"
Who Does Pica?
But Why?
2. A Biocultural Approach: A Holistic Way to Study Pica
The Biocultural Perspective
Pica Data in This Book
3. Medicine You Can Walk On
The Amazing Properties of Clays
Early Pharmacopeia
Modern Medicine
4. Religious Geophagy: Sacredness You Can Swallow
Christianity
Islam
Hinduism
Hoodoo
5. Poisons and Pathogens
Anemia
Heavy Metal Poisoning
Geohelminths
Other Physical Damage
Part II: But Why?
6. Dismissal and Damnation: A Historical Perspective on the Purported Causes of Pica
"The natives"
Slaves
"The weaker sex"
Sandlappers
Children
The Mentally Disturbed
Concealment of Pica Today
Establishing Accurate Estimates of Pica Behavior
7. Pica in Response to Food Shortage
Earth as a Famine Food
Testing the Hunger Hypothesis
8: Pica as a Micronutrient Supplement
Testing the Micronutrient Supplement Hypothesis
Could Pica Cause a Micronutrient Deficiency?
9: Pica to Protect and Detoxify
Toxins and Pathogens
The Protective Capacity of Clays
10. Putting the Pica Pieces Together
What We Know
What We Don’t Know
Why We Need to Know It
Appendix A: Notable Moments in the History of Pica
Appendix B: Prevalence of Pica Among Representative Populations of Pregnant Women
Appendix C: Prevalence of Pica Among Representative Populations of Children
Appendix D: Pica in Literature
Appendix E: Association Between Pica and Iron Deficiency and/or Anemia in Cross-Sectional Studies
Appendix F: Association Between Pica with Zinc Deficiency in Cross-Sectional Studies
Appendix G: Predictions
Notes
Glossary
Works Cited
Acknowledgments
Index