Foreword G. A. Harrison; Introduction B. Bogin and C. G. N. Mascie-Taylor; 1. The pervasiveness of plasticity D. F. Roberts; 2. Plasticity in early development D. J. Pritchard; 3. Plasticity in the growth of Mayan refugee children living in the United States B. Bogin; 4. The place of plasticity in the study of the secular trend for male stature J. L. Boldsen; 5. Plasticity, growth and energy balance S. J. Ulijaszek; 6. The study of migrants as a strategy for understanding human biological plasticity G. W. Lasker; 7. Human migration: effects on people, effects on populations G. Coleman; 8. The use of surnames in the study of human variation and plasticity John H. Relethford; 9. A biological anthropological approach to measuring societal stress of parasitic disease - a case study of Schistosomiasis C. G. N. Mascie-Taylor and G. E. H. Mohamed; 10. Biological adaptability, plasticity and disease: patterns in modernising societies R. M. Garruto; 11. Human biological adaptability with special emphasis on plasticity: history, development and problems for future research L. M. Schell; Index.