Posted on Monday, November 21, 2005
Dr. Timothy Cuff, an assistant professor of history at ¾¨Ó㴫ý, recently presented his research at the Social Science History Association meeting in Portland, Ore.
Cuff, who also served as a moderator of two panels, presented "More Pieces for the Antebellum Puzzle: The Hidden Cost of Economic Development in the Early Nineteenth Century Pennsylvania." The paper is based on the results developed in conjunction with research published in Cuff's recent book, "The Hidden Cost of Economic Development: The Biological Standard of Living in Antebellum Pennsylvania."
"My research indicates that during the early decades of the 1800s, the biological well-being of Pennsylvania populations deteriorated slightly during this period of significant economic growth," Cuff said. "Somewhat surprising, but consistent with similar work on other countries undergoing the early stages of modern economic growth, individuals most distant from the regions experiencing the greatest economic development displayed the greatest average height.
"The paper also described the extensions of the current work which are under way using data on Pennsylvanians born in the second half of the 19th century. These data have been collected and digitized using grand support from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and the Economic History Association," Cuff said.
Cuff, who has been with ¾¨Ó㴫ý since 2000, earned his undergraduate degree from ¾¨Ó㴫ý, his masters' from Bowling Green State University and University of Pittsburgh, and his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.
Contact Cuff at (724) 946-6152 or e-mail cufft@westminster.edu for more information
