[Home Page][Index of Reviews][Ethics for Beginners][Free as in Freedom]

Evolution and Healing
by Randolph M. Nesse and George C. Williams

For some time now, I have been aware of the effects that evolution has on bacteria and other living creatures. But this book, subtitled "The New Science of Darwinian Medicine", has made me more aware of what evolution, or more specifically evolution by natural selection, can do. Evolution not only explains the spectacular rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria, but also how our body (and our body's defenses) are the way they are now.

The book starts off by giving an explanation of what evolution by natural selection means. It uses Richard Dawkins's idea that our genes are the unit of selection, rather than individuals. From this, the book goes on to demonstrate in remarkable detail how genes, competing to be replicated, can cause our bodies to be the way they are now.

In a remarkable series of chapters, the authors provide possible explanations for why we suffer from old age diseases, cancer, short-sightedness, etc. They are all due to the action (or in the case of old age, due to the inaction) of natural selection. Others, like allegy reactions, may arise because natural selection hasn't had time to adjust our bodies for our modern way of life. For example, since diseases like Alzheimer's act long after our breeding age, there is little selection pressure to eliminate genes that cause it.

Other chapters illuminate the actions of our immune system and the dangers we may get ourselves into by unknowingly disrupting it. For example, a fever may actually be good by making our body environment less inviting to invading bacterial. The cough reflex may help to clear our lungs of bacterial. Low iron in the blood can deprive bacterial of a growth factor. By unknowingly suppressing our body's reaction to illness, we may be prolonging it, rather than speeding the healing process.

Of course, the authors are not suggestion we shouldn't treat fevers and coughs. Instead, what they are saying is that we (and physicians) should examine why the fever or cough, which our bodies have evolved by natural selection, is there is the first place and decide on a course of treatment that takes into account our body's reactions to illness.

Probably the most fascinating, and in many ways disturbing, chapters deals with bacteria and the various ways it has of subverting our bodies cells into the task of making more bacteria. Here, the bacteria has the advantage of being able to evolve much faster than us, allowing it to constantly keep one step ahead of our bodies's defenses in many cases. As the current rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria shows we have, unfortunately, grown complacent and allowed bacterial to gain the upper hand.

Other chapters look at how remarkable natural selection is at shaping our bodies. In an amazing chapter that shows that natural selection benefits genes and not individuals, the authors show the amazing 'battle' fought between a baby in a womb (who wants to get more nutrients) and the mother (who wants to keep herself well).

This is a book that will make you think about your own body, its reactions to various types of illness in the light of natural selection. A highly recommended read.

[Home Page][Index of Reviews][Ethics for Beginners][Free as in Freedom]

Evolution and Healing by Randolph M. Nesse and George C. Williams

Evolution and Healing
by Randolph M. Nesse and George C. Williams