We think of medical science and doctors as focused on treating
conditions--whether it's a cough or an aching back. But the sicknesses
and complaints that cause us to seek medical attention actually have
deeper origins than the superficial germs and behaviors we regularly
fault. In fact, as Jeremy Taylor shows in Body by Darwin, we can trace
the roots of many medical conditions through our evolutionary history,
revealing what has made us susceptible to certain illnesses and ailments
over time and how we can use that knowledge to help us treat or prevent
problems in the future.
In Body by Darwin, Taylor examines the evolutionary origins of some of
our most common and serious health issues. To begin, he looks at the
hygiene hypothesis, which argues that our obsession with anti-bacterial
cleanliness, particularly at a young age, may be making us more
vulnerable to autoimmune and allergic diseases. He also discusses
diseases of the eye, the medical consequences of bipedalism as they
relate to all those aches and pains in our backs and knees, the rise of
Alzheimer's disease, and how cancers become so malignant that they kill
us despite the toxic chemotherapy we throw at them. Taylor explains why
it helps to think about heart disease in relation to the demands of an
ever-growing, dense, muscular pump that requires increasing amounts of
nutrients, and he discusses how walking upright and giving birth to ever
larger babies led to a problematic compromise in the design of the
female spine and pelvis. Throughout, he not only explores the impact of
evolution on human form and function, but he integrates science with
stories from actual patients and doctors, closely examining the
implications for our health.
As Taylor shows, evolutionary medicine allows us think about the human
body and its adaptations in a completely new and productive way. By
exploring how our body's performance is shaped by its past, Body by
Darwin draws powerful connections between our ancient human history and
the future of potential medical advances that can harness this
knowledge.
