Evolutionary Medicine [Paperback]

Evolution is the single most important idea in modern biology, shedding light on virtually every biological question, from the shape of orchid blossoms to the distribution of species across the planet. Until recently, however, the theory has had little impact on medical research or practice.Evolutionary Medicineshows how this is beginning to change.

Collecting work from leaders in the field, this volume describes an array of new and innovative approaches to human health that are based on an appreciation of our long evolutionary history. For example, it shows how evolution helps to explain the complex relationship between our immune systems and the virulence and transmission of human viruses. It also shows how comparisons between how we live today and how our hunter-gatherer ancestors lived thousands of years ago illuminate a variety of contemporary ills, including obesity, lower-back pain, and insomnia.

Evolutionary Medicinecovers issues at every stage of life, from infancy (colic, jaundice, SIDS, parent-infant sleep struggles, ear infections, breast-feeding, asthma) to adulthood (sexually transmitted diseases, depression, overeating, addictions, child abuse, cardiovascular disease, breast and ovarian cancer) to old age (osteoporosis, geriatric sleep problems). Written for a wide range of students and researchers in medicine, anthropology, and psychology, it is an invaluable guide to this rapidly developing field.

Foreword: Historical Overview,Michael H. Day
Contributors
Introduction
1. Is Neonatal Jaundice a Disease or an Adaptive Process?,John Brett and Susan Niermeyer
2. Infant Crying Behavior and Colic: An Interpretation in Evolutionary Perspective,Ronald G. Barr
3. Evolutionary Pediatrics and Implications for SIDS,James McKenna, Sarah Mosko, and Chris Richard
4. Otitis Media: An Evolutionary Perspective,Hal J. Daniel III
5. The Evolutionary Ecology of Childhl“+