History Professor Presents Research in Tokyo

Dr. Timothy Cuff, Westminster College assistant professor of history, recently presented his research at the Keio Conference, a meeting of economics historians held in Tokyo.

 "This conference was held in preparation for the XIV International Economic History Congress scheduled this summer in Helsinki, Finland," said Cuff, who will also attend that Congress.

Cuff's research, 'Geographic Pieces in the Antebellum Puzzle: Early Nineteenth-Century Pennsylvania as a Case Study,' 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 grant support from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission and the Economic History Association," Cuff said.

 While at the conference, Cuff also had the opportunity to offer commentary on and suggestions for the other 11 papers presented at the Keio Conference, each of which addressed some aspect of how economic development, and particularly market integration, has affected the biological well-being of societies across geographic space and time. 

 Cuff, who has been with Westminster College since 2000, earned his undergraduate degree from Westminster College, 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.

Dr. Timothy Cuff