Anthropology may be described as the science of man in totality, which includes the study of various fields of science. During the first quarter of the 20th century when anthropology started blossoming into a full-fledged academic discipline, scholars from the natural sciences background were attracted into its fold.
Haddon was a marine zoologist, Rivers was a physiologist, and Seligman a pathologist, Elliot Smith an anatomist, Malinowski a physicist and back home in India N. K. Bose was physicist and geographer.
These men had been taught that in science one tests hypothesis by one’s own observations. One does not rely on layman to do it for one. They brought with them the scientific temper and objectivity that, during later stages, helped anthropology to become a mature discipline.
2.bp.blogspot.com
ADVERTISEMENTS:
The subject matter of anthropology is vast. It includes everything that has to do with human beings, past and present, far and near. Many other sciences and disciplines study one or the other aspect of the most wonderful creature that man is.
While anatomists and physiologists study humans as biological organism and social sciences like economics, sociology, history and other various aspects of human society and culture, anthropologists are interested in all of these things. Thus anthropology may be described as the science of man in totality.
Obviously, it is not possible for a single anthropologist to study and investigate personally everything that has to do with man. That is why anthropology has been divided into various branches and sub fields and individual anthropologists specialize in one or more of these.