Why We Get Sick
Product ID: 76835014
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The next time you get sick, consider this before picking up the aspirin: your body may be doing exactly what it's supposed to. In this ground-breaking book, two pioneers of the science of Darwinian medicine argue that illness as well as the factors that predispose us toward it are subject to the same laws of natural selection that otherwise make our bodies such miracles of design. ;Among the concerns they raise:When may a fever be beneficial?Why do pregnant women get morning sickness?How do certain viruses "manipulate" their hosts into infecting others?What evolutionary factors may be responsible for depression and panic disorder?Deftly summarizing research on disorders ranging from allergies to Alzheimer's, and form cancer to Huntington's chorea, Why We Get Sick, ;answers these questions and more. ;The result is a book that will revolutionize our attitudes toward illness and will intrigue and instruct lay person and medical practitioners alike. Review: This is an interesting and useful book. It should have an Indian print copy ... - This is an interesting and useful book. It should have an Indian print copy to reduce cost so that more people can read the book. Review: A Brilliant New Way to Think About Medicine - Nesse and Williams offer a brilliant new way to look at medicine. The human body is designed by evolution (if you do not believe that, do not bother buying this book). There is almost always a reason for what we see as flaws in our designs. If we keep this simple fact in mind, we can learn a great deal about how best to keep ourselves happy and healthy. Sometimes what we perceive as a flaw is the inevitable cost of some unseen benefit. A fever may be uncomfortable, or even dangerous, but it may also play a role in fighting off a disease. At other times, our relatively recent (in evolutionary terms) move from hunter-gathers may explain the flaw. A taste for sugar and fat is a good thing if you are living on the brink of starvation on the African savanna, but it is not so helpful in a modern society. This is not a self-help book, by any means. While the authors do provide many specific examples and hard facts, the main point of the book is to encourage doctors (and patients) to think more carefully and critically about the human body.
| Best Sellers Rank | #234,524 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #187 in Anatomy & Physiology #373 in General Medicine #1,473 in Basic Medical Sciences |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 368 Reviews |
A**R
This is an interesting and useful book. It should have an Indian print copy ...
This is an interesting and useful book. It should have an Indian print copy to reduce cost so that more people can read the book.
O**R
A Brilliant New Way to Think About Medicine
Nesse and Williams offer a brilliant new way to look at medicine. The human body is designed by evolution (if you do not believe that, do not bother buying this book). There is almost always a reason for what we see as flaws in our designs. If we keep this simple fact in mind, we can learn a great deal about how best to keep ourselves happy and healthy. Sometimes what we perceive as a flaw is the inevitable cost of some unseen benefit. A fever may be uncomfortable, or even dangerous, but it may also play a role in fighting off a disease. At other times, our relatively recent (in evolutionary terms) move from hunter-gathers may explain the flaw. A taste for sugar and fat is a good thing if you are living on the brink of starvation on the African savanna, but it is not so helpful in a modern society. This is not a self-help book, by any means. While the authors do provide many specific examples and hard facts, the main point of the book is to encourage doctors (and patients) to think more carefully and critically about the human body.
N**N
Aaargh!!
The printing is of poor quality. Doesn't look like a genuine product. Wasn't expecting this. Looks like a fake one printed in india after the book was ordered. Disappointed.
M**S
Libro super interesante
Este libro dรก una visiรณn muy interesante y con un punto de vista distinto de por quรฉ efermamos. A pesar de estar bien, es difรญcil de leer, a veces resulta un poco farrogoso, pero es realmente interesante.
M**N
A jolly good read
The book is slightly outdated now in terms of its examples and theories, but it's still informative and an interesting read. The book itself was great quality considering that it was second had.
K**T
Really opens up your mind to new perspectives and ideas
I read this book as an assignment for my Evolution class and I loved it overall. The authors do a good job in hooking the reader at the beginning of every chapter by introducing a topic that is very relatable. They do so by asking questions that we often ask ourselves or perhaps questions that i've never even thought of. They then try to answer said questions as best as they can by bringing in facts from past studies and researches. The authors state that they're not trying to impose any particular opinion onto the reader, but rather are just trying to explain things from a Darwinian perspective. Overall it was a very informative book and there are definitely some aspects that I will incorporate into my everyday life. I have a new respect for our bodies and how we've evolved into the wonderful, complex organisms that we are today!
L**A
Very interesting
Very interesting book. I do suggest to read!
B**E
Excellently informative
It's impossible for me to understand how people can deny evolution when it explains so much! Once you understand biology, you know evolution is a fact of life. This book explains another aspect of biology we often don't like to be victims of... illness. However, that too is a product of evolution and has reasons for its existence. Enlightening stuff, and very informative.
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