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Format:
Paperback
544 pp.
75 illus., 231 mm x 152 mm

ISBN-13:
9780195307061

Copyright Year:
2008

Imprint: OUP US

Evolutionary Medicine and Health

New Perspectives

Wenda R. Trevathan, E.O. Smith and James J. McKenna

Building on the success of their groundbreaking anthology Evolutionary Medicine (OUP, 1999), Wenda R. Trevathan, E. O. Smith, and James J. McKenna provide an up-to-date and thought-provoking introduction to the field with this new collection of essays. Ideal for courses in evolutionary medicine, medical anthropology, and the evolution of human disease, Evolutionary Medicine and Health: New Perspectives presents twenty-three original articles that examine how human evolution relates to a broad range of contemporary health problems including infectious, chronic, nutritional, and mental diseases and disorders. Topics covered include disease susceptibility in cultural context, substance abuse and addiction, sleep disorders, preeclampsia, altitude-related hypoxia, the biological context of menstruation, and the role of stress in modern life. An international team of preeminent scholars in biological anthropology, medicine, biology, psychology, and geography contributed the selections. Together they represent a uniquely integrative and multidisciplinary approach that takes into account the dialogue between biology and culture as it relates to understanding, treating, and preventing disease. A common theme throughout is the description of cases in which biological human development conflicts with culturally based individual behaviors that determine health outcomes. Detailed, evidence-based arguments make the case that all aspects of the human condition covered in the volume have an evolutionary basis, while theoretical discussions using other empirical evidence critique the gaps that still remain in evolutionary approaches to health.

Evolutionary Medicine and Health: New Perspectives features an introductory overview that covers the field's diverse array of topics, questions, lines of evidence, and perspectives. In addition, the editors provide introductions to each essay and an extensive bibliography that represents a state-of-the-art survey of the literature. A companion website offers a full bibliography and links to source articles, reports, and databases. Written in an engaging style that is accessible to students, professionals, and general readers, this book offers a unique look at how an evolutionary perspective has become increasingly relevant to the health field and medical practice.

Readership : Undergraduate and graduate courses in Evolutionary Medicine, Medical Anthropology, and the Evolution of Human Disease.

Reviews

"This is a wonderful addition to Evolutionary Medicine, and both fill a unique niche. These are the best examples of why evolution is so pertinent to contemporary medicine. The chapters are provocative and force students to think in new ways. In some chapters, standard practice is turned on its head. We need future health practitioners to be thinking outside of the box. This book is an incredibly important contribution to the literature."--Joan Stevenson, Western Washington University

Preface:
Contributors:
PART ONE. BACKGROUND
Wenda Trevathan, E. O. Smith, and James J. McKenna: 1. An Overview of Evolutionary Medicine
PART TWO. Politics, Nutrition, and Diet
Bethany L. Turner, Kenneth Maes, Jennifer Sweeney, and George J. Armelagos: 2. Human Evolution, Diet, and Nutrition: When the Body Meets the Buffet
Leslie Sue Lieberman: 3. Diabesity and Darwinian Medicine: The Evolution of an Epidemic
Iver Mysterud, Dag Viljen Poleszynski, Fedon A. Lindberg, and Stig A. Bruset: 4. To Eat, or What Not To Eat: A Critique of the Official Norwegian Dietary Guidelines
Andrea S. Wiley: 5. Cow's Milk Consumption and Health: An Evolutionary Perspective
PART THREE. SEX, REPRODUCTION, AND HEALTH
James S. Chisholm and David A. Coall: 6. Not by Bread Alone: The Role of Psychosocial Stress in Age at First Reproduction and in Health Inequalities
Alejandra Núñez-de la Mora and Gillian R. Bentley: 7. Early Life Effects on Reproductive Function
Tessa M. Pollard and Nigel Unwin: 8. Impaired Reproductive Function in Women in Western and "Westernizing" Populations: An Evolutionary Approach
Lynnette Leidy Sievert: 9. Should Women Menstruate? An Evolutionary Perspective on Menstrual-Suppressing Oral Contraceptives
Caroline Doyle, Holly A. Swain Ewald, and Paul W. Ewald: 10. An Evolutionary Perspective on Premenstrual Syndrome: Implications for Investigating Infectious Causes of Chronic Disease
Pierre-Yves Robillard, Gustaaf Dekker, Gérard Chaouat, Jean Chaline, and Thomas C. Hulsey: 11. The Possible Role of Eclampsia/Preeclampsia in the Evolution of Human Reproduction
PART FOUR. ENVIRONMENTS, NORMALITY, AND LIFETIME HEALTH
Helen Ball and Kristin Klingaman: 12. Breastfeeding and Mother-Infant Sleep Proximity: Implications for Infant Care
Mark V. Flinn: 13. Why Words Can Hurt Us: Social Relationships, Stress, and Health
Cynthia M. Beall: 14. Why Are We Vulnerable To Acute Mountain Sickness?
Daniel H. Lende: 15. Evolution and Modern Behavioral Problems: The Case of Addiction
Carol M. Worthman: 16. After Dark: The Evolutionary Ecology of Human Sleep
PART FIVE. CHRONIC DISEASES, OLD TREATMENTS, AND MORE MISUNDERSTANDING
Jack Baker, Magdalena Hurtado, Osbjorn Pearson, and Troy Jones: 17. Evolutionary Medicine and Obesity: Developmental Adaptive Responses in Human Body Composition
Christopher W. Kuzawa: 18. The Developmental Origins of Adult Health: Intergenerational Inertia in Adaptation and Disease
Paul W. Ewald: 19. An Evolutionary Perspective on the Causes of Chronic Diseases: Atherosclerosis as an Illustration
Douglas E. Crews and Linda M. Gerber: 20. Genes, Geographic Ancestry, and Disease Susceptibility: Applications of Evolutionary Medicine to Clinical Settings
E. Jennifer Weil: 21. From Ancient Seas to Modern Disease: Evolution and Congestive Heart Failure
Stephen Lewis: 22. Evolution at the Intersection of Biology and Medicine
Randolph M. Nesse: 23. The Importance of Evolution for Medicine
References:
Endnotes:

Companion Website -- http://www.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780195307061/?view

Wenda Trevathan is a Biological Anthropologist at New Mexico State University. E.O. Smith is a Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Emory University. James McKenna is Edmund P. Joycs Chair in Anthropology at the University of Notre Dame.

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