The answers are in this groundbreaking book by two founders of the emerging science of Darwinian medicine, who deftly synthesize the latest researc...
read full description
reviews
Aug 16, 2011
Crosby
rated it: 
This is a book for those who are not satisfied with answers to their questions that sound like: "just because that's the way things are...", or "what difference does it make?..." or "it's part of the plan.....". More specifically, the book puts common health maladies such as the common cold, heart attacks, obesity, cancer, morning sickness, senescence, etc under a spotlight called Darwinian medicine. This concept is based upon comparing contemporary humans to their
More...
May 30, 2007
Diana
rated it: 
READ THIS BOOK! it's fascinating and it makes sense. it explains a lot about why our bodies malfunction in the ways they do and how many diseases/genetic disorders were actually trade-offs for increasing our genetic fitness (the ability of your offspring to produce viable offspring themselves). i read it for ecology + evolution of human disease, and it is the most interesting and accessible science book i've read.
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Sep 15, 2007
Ethan
rated it:
Your body is designed to make more humans under stone age conditions - that includes your brain. Our present circumstances are far removed from the stone age, but it'll be millions of years before our anatomy catches up. In the meantime, life is going to continue to be hard, no matter how much stuff we have.
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Oct 27, 2010
711Isabel B
rated it:
So far, I am really enjoying Why We Get Sick, even though it's way to hard for me. I am slowly plodding through it, and learning a lot. I keep putting it down and going "Ohhhhhhh........That's REALLY interesting!"
I was suddenly sparked into an interest in Darwinian medicine when I first picked up the book. That was because it sparked my curiosity, made me question the human body.
Was there a reason that we got fevers.......Was there perhaps a reason, to burn infection More...
I was suddenly sparked into an interest in Darwinian medicine when I first picked up the book. That was because it sparked my curiosity, made me question the human body.
Was there a reason that we got fevers.......Was there perhaps a reason, to burn infection More...
Aug 22, 2010
Colin
rated it:
Probably my favorite book I've read this summer. It raises a number of interesting questions about the strategies of modern medicine. A lot of thought has recently been given to the structure of healthcare (in the US or otherwise), but remarkably little time has been spent reconciling medical practices with the theory on which all biological knowledge seems to hang: evolution. The authors urge physicians to consider not only the histories of their patients but also the history of our species whe
More...
Feb 03, 2012
AJ
rated it:
This is probably the best book on evolutionary medicine I have read yet. It covers a much wider range of topics than others I have read, and it explains them in such a way that anyone could understand - which I appreciate in a book. Although it was written 18 years ago the information is still almost all relevant. Plus, it is a great exercise in critical thinking and getting outside of the clinical mindset of typical medicine.
If you're at all interested in the usefulness of disease o More...
If you're at all interested in the usefulness of disease o More...
Oct 03, 2008
Nicholas
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Nov 29, 2007
james
rated it:
My only qualm with the book is that it starts off acknowledging that evolution is only a paradigm and not the ultimate truth, but ends stating that biology only makes sense with an evolutionary perspective.
But how well the authors explain so much! They continuously call for more research on this or that, and offer a fair amount of speculation. But it's always quite clear when they are explaining fact, theory, or speculation. Make up your own mind - their explanations are awfully c More...
But how well the authors explain so much! They continuously call for more research on this or that, and offer a fair amount of speculation. But it's always quite clear when they are explaining fact, theory, or speculation. Make up your own mind - their explanations are awfully c More...
Dec 06, 2010
Andres
rated it:
Read this for a medical anthropology class. Darwinian medicine is a very interesting look at not only how our body deals with sickness but more importantly why it reacts to disease (or becomes diseased) in the first place, exploring what exactly in the evolution of our bodies causes these types of reactions or pathologies.
Since I read this book chunks at a time over a few months I don't know how it all works together, but it is a bit of a slog at times to get through. What irked me t More...
Since I read this book chunks at a time over a few months I don't know how it all works together, but it is a bit of a slog at times to get through. What irked me t More...
Nov 22, 2009
Heidi
rated it:
I don't believe in evolution, but have to read this for a science class. It's actually quite informative. I just get bored reading it because the subject doesn't really interest me, the teacher is making us bullet major points and it's taking me forever because there's lots of good points.
Feb 12, 2009
Stephanie
rated it:
I read this as a side project to a anthropology course I was taking in school, and every time I get the sniffles I think of this book and the fascinating ideas it proposed. It's good to know that getting sick does have it's purpose in the evolutionary scheme, even though it may not be too much fun....
Aug 02, 2011
Shubhika
rated it:
The Book talks about the defenses, signs, symptoms , infectious diseases in layman's terms. A very interesting perspective on certain body phenomenon triggered in reaction to diseases and infections. A good read.
May 20, 2008
Karly
rated it:
This was a text book for my Favorite Anthro class in college. It is a fascinating look at the mechanisms of the human body and various diseases we get. The Authors put forth interesting hypothesis, about why many of these conditions persist into modern day, that they may vary well give us fitness advantages during our reproductive years, or help us to be more likely to be born.
I gave this one star off because it is officially the most annoying book to read in public. Unless you wa More...
I gave this one star off because it is officially the most annoying book to read in public. Unless you wa More...
Sep 08, 2011
Xin
rated it:
You'll find a new perspective on medicine and human physiology after reading this book. Highly recommend.
Aug 15, 2009
C.E.
rated it:
Fantastic! Whole new way to see our bodies and its foibles. Do not lend it out, you'll never get it back!
Dec 24, 2009
Becca
rated it:
A really excellent, if slightly outdated, resource on the Darwinistic underpinings of our responses to disease. By far the best part of the book was the table categorizing disease responses (protective v. quirks v. secondary purpose). The book may have been made slightly stronger if it stuck more strictly to the topic of disease; however, as an introduction to the rigorous scientific ideas behind Darwinism, it was made richer by the discussions of pregnancy, foodstuffs, kin altruism and selfis
More...
Sep 24, 2010
Greg A
rated it:
Greg A. Minton MD found this book to be fascinating and recommends it to anyone.
Aug 05, 2011
A great read. Not always right on but truly makes you think. Thanks Mike.
May 08, 2008
Michael
rated it:
The cover blurb from Richard Dawkins says, "buy two copies and give one to your doctor." That about sums it up. The authors put disease and discomfort into an evolutionary context that explains the reasons that certain defenses are activated in response to certain threats and gives a lot of insight into the differences between a predator and a defense mechanism--a difference that seems to be lost on much of the medical establishment today.
Dec 22, 2010
Nancy
rated it:
This book was published in 1994 but almost all of it felt current (for 2010). The book covers a wide variety of diseases (allergy, infection, cancer, mental illness, heart disease) explaining (with some speculation) the evolutionary roots of each. Quite interesting.
Aug 01, 2009
Sarah
rated it:
A fascinating book that delves into the new field of Darwinian medicine. As a fan of Darwin's work, looking at medicine from his perspective was gratifying, interesting, and made perfect sense.
Jan 16, 2008
Amari
rated it:
utterly fascinating and incredibly well-written. one of the best non-fiction books (on any subject) that i can remember having read. not only do the authors clearly, logically, and convincingly put forth a stunning set of hypotheses and reasonings related to sickness and health in human and other organisms, they actually answer a number of The Big Questions where human motivation is concerned.
Dec 16, 2009
Michael
rated it:
The book was alright. It advocates evolutionary thinking applied to medicine. As in, if you have a fever, and take a fever reducer, does that really help you? Or does it help the virus/bacteria that causes the fever? Things of this nature. There are many good examples of these types of conundrums, yet it still seemed a little dry and hard to get into.
Apr 03, 2008
Carl
rated it:
Interesting book on why some diseases continually exist and we aren't able to evolve out of having them. How some diseases take on a life of their own, and how some even provide benefits to the hosts that carry them (Us!) -- Will flip everything you know about medicine on it's head.
Oct 02, 2007
Kelly
rated it:
Just as we have evolved, so have diseases, and our responses to them. And some diseases we get are actually unintentional and unfortunate by-products of protective measures we have evolved to protect us from other diseases. Fascinating stuff.
Mar 18, 2008
An older book, and I had heard a lot of the info in bits and pieces from other sources, but this book makes you look at illness in a whole different light.
Mar 10, 2008
Krista
rated it:
This book is AWESOME. Evolutionary (literally!) approach to understanding disease processes in our modern world.
Aug 10, 2008
Alicia
rated it:
Really interesting look at modern medicine from the perspective of evolution
Dec 16, 2009
Expertly constructed examination of evolutionary biology and human health.
