EVOLUTIONARY MEDICINE

Evolutionary medicine

Evolutionary Medicine

Introduction

Evolutionary medicine is also known as Darwinian medicine is a new field of medical science whose most important aim is to seek evolutionary explanations for the vulnerability of humankind to diseases, (Nesse & Williams 2003, pp. 76) namely, to study medical problems in the light of the Theory of Evolution. In simple terms, this theory states that the variation of genetic material occurs randomly in species in every generation, through cellular DNA mutations, and that the survival or extinction of a given organism is a result of natural selection, according to its capacity to adapt and reproduce itself within its own environment. Thus, through natural selection, genes providing greater reproductive success to the organisms are "selected" and remain in the genome during subsequent generations. Conversely, genes that result in less viable offspring are gradually eliminated from the population. (Williams & Nesse 2001, pp. 1)

However, according to Darwin, natural selection was not the only process driving evolution: variability is also increased by sexual selection, thought to account for characteristics such as the behavior, shape, and physiology of organisms before, during, and after mating. Through this process, while competing with a member of the same sex and species, an individual gains reproductive advantages over a member of the opposite sex. (Weiner 2005, pp. 510)

A cohesive theory to explain evolutionary principles evolved in Western Europe, building on knowledge and observations that date back to the 16th century. Many of these ideas were borrowed from Arab, Chinese, and Indian scientists and philosophers. These earlier scholars proposed the concept of evolution, but had no suggestions to explain the theory, process, or mechanisms driving this force.

Charles Darwin, a British naturalist, was the first person to suggest an explanation of the mechanics of the evolutionary process. As he published his theory of natural selection, a Scottish naturalist named Alfred Russel Wallace independently reached the identical conclusion. Since scientific knowledge builds on previous knowledge and theories, it is possible to see the development of ideas that caused these two gentlemen to simultaneously develop the theory of evolution by natural selection.

Discussion

One of the greatest mysteries of medicine is the presence, in an excellently structured machine such as the human body, of apparent failures and palliative mechanisms that cause most diseases (Nesse & Williams 2003, pp. 279). The evolutionary approach offered by Darwinian Medicine sums up this "mystery" in two issues: why did the natural selection process not uniformly eliminate the genes that render us susceptible to diseases, and why did it not select all genes that improve our capacity to resist damages and perform "repairs"?(Weiner 2005, pp. 510)

To solve this paradox, it is necessary to make a careful distinction between the "immediate" explanations and the "evolutionary" explanations of diseases. The immediate explanations approach the pathogenic mechanisms of diseases and the body's responses to it. Evolutionary explanations, on the other hand, go back in time trying to show why human beings remain susceptible to some diseases and not to ...