Why We Get Sick

Why We Get Sick – George C. Williams

Why do we get fevers? Why do we feel nauseous during pregnancy? Why are we vulnerable to heart disease, allergies and cancer? In Why We Get Sick: The New Science of Darwinian Medicine, physician Randolph M. Nesse and evolutionary biologist George C. Williams offer a fresh perspective on these questions by looking at the human body through the lens of evolution.

The authors argue that many symptoms and vulnerabilities, rather than being simple defects, make sense when we understand how natural selection has shaped our bodies. Some symptoms, such as fever, coughing or vomiting, may be defenses that help us fight infection or expel toxins. Other problems arise because our bodies evolved for a very different environment than the modern world, with its abundant food, sedentary lifestyles and new substances.

Nesse and Williams also explore the evolutionary arms race between humans and pathogens, the trade-offs built into our biology, the role of genes that may have been beneficial in the past, and the origins of conditions ranging from infections and injuries to aging, mental disorders and allergies.

Written in a clear, engaging style for general readers, the book helped establish the field now known as evolutionary or Darwinian medicine, and it encourages both doctors and patients to think differently about illness and treatment.

Why We Get Sick is a fascinating read for anyone interested in biology, medicine, evolution and the deeper reasons behind human health and disease.