Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease 1st Edition

by Dr. Sharon Moalem (Author), Jonathan Prince (Author)

327 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0060889654

ISBN-10: 9780060889654

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Was diabetes evolution's response to the last Ice Age? Did a deadly genetic disease help our ancestors survive the bubonic plagues of Europe? Will a visit to the tanning salon help lower your cholesterol? Why do we age? Why are some people immune to HIV? Can your genes be turned on -- or off?

Joining the ranks of modern myth busters, Dr. Sharon Moalem turns our current understanding of illness on its head and challenges us to fundamentally change the way we think about our bodies, our health, and our relationship to just about every other living thing on earth, from plants and animals to insects and bacteria.

Through a fresh and engaging examination of our evolutionary history, Dr. Moalem reveals how many of the conditions that are diseases today actually gave our ancestors a leg up in the survival sweepstakes. When the option is a long life with a disease or a short one without it, evolution opts for disease almost every time.

Everything from the climate our ancestors lived in to the crops they planted and ate to their beverage of choice can be seen in our genetic inheritance. But Survival of the Sickest doesn't stop there. It goes on to demonstrate just how little modern medicine really understands about human health, and offers a new way of thinking that can help all of us live longer, healthier lives.

Survival of the Sickest is filled with fascinating insights and cutting-edge research, presented in a way that is both accessible and utterly absorbing. This is a book about the interconnectedness of all life on earth -- and, especially, what that means for us.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Dan Ariely on Survival of the Sickest
MIT professor Dan Ariely has become one of the leaders in the growing field of behavioral economics, and his bestselling book debut, Predictably Irrational, has brought his ideas--and his ingenious experiments and charming sense of humor--to a much wider audience. With the simplest of tests (often an auction or a quiz given under a few conditions) he shows again and again not only that we are wired to make irrational decisions in many situations, but that we do so in remarkably predictable ways.

I have always been puzzled by the way in which genetic diseases have managed to survive throughout the ages. How could it be that these diseases were able to withstand the evolutionary process, where only the most fit survive, and continue to be transferred from one generation to the next? Survival of the Sickest provides a thought provoking yet entertaining explanation to this puzzle.

In this insightful book Dr. Sharon Moalem demonstrates how conditions that are considered unhealthy (such as hemochromatosis, diabetes, and high cholesterol), or even deadly in extreme cases, might actually put their carriers at an advantage in combating other life-threatening illnesses. For example, he explains that hemochromatosis, a disease that, if left untreated, will kill you, may have actually been a defense against the deadliest pandemic in history--the bubonic plague during the 14th century. It turns out that this genetic mutation, which continues to be passed down through generations, actually helped spare many lives at one point.

Throughout the book, Dr. Moalem draws many connections between seemingly disparate subjects, such as the accidental invention of ice wine and cold diuresis, in order to illustrate the basic mechanisms of genetics and medicine in charming and intuitive ways. He skillfully interweaves his knowledge of history, genetics, and medicine not only as they relate to specific medical conditions but also in a way that addresses important challenges of modern society and our future evolution.

In the most general terms, Dr. Moalem's description of the human body and its complexity left me in awe of how far we have come in our understanding of biology and medicine, while also being reminded that the road to understanding ourselves is still wide open with much more to learn in the decades, and even centuries, to come. It is a fantastic journey on which he leads us and Dr. Moalem is a kind, knowledgeable, humorous, and helpful guide.

From Publishers Weekly

Moalem, a medical student with a Ph.D. in neurogenetics, asks a number of provocative questions, such as why debilitating hereditary diseases persist in humans and why we suffer from the consequences of aging. His approach to these questions is solidly rooted in evolutionary theory, and he capably demonstrates that each disease confers a selective advantage to individuals who carry either one or two alleles for inherited diseases. But very little is new; the principles, if not every particular, that Moalem addresses have been covered in Randolph Nesse and George Williams's Why We Get Sick, among others. Whether he is discussing hemochromatosis (a disorder that causes massive amounts of iron to accumulate in individuals), diabetes or sickle cell anemia, his conclusion is always the same: each condition offers enough positive evolutionary advantages to offset the negative consequences, and this message is repeated over and over. Additionally, Moalem's endless puns and simple jokes wear thin, but his light style makes for easy reading for readers new to this subject. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product details

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: William Morrow; 1 edition (February 6, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9780060889654
ISBN-13: 978-0060889654
ASIN: 0060889659
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 327 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #666,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #133 in Books > Textbooks > Medicine & Health Sciences > Medicine > Basic Sciences > Genetics
- #238 in Books > Medical Books > Basic Sciences > Cell Biology
- #309 in Books > Textbooks > Medicine & Health Sciences > Medicine > Clinical > Diseases

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bpysz

I loved this book and highly reccommend it to all knowledge seekers.

February 4, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This was an excellent book for any health care layman like me in understanding what the physiology, history, philosophy, and science of human medicine is about. For me it unscrambled the confusion about where we are at in the field of medicine. We all get sick and we all like understanding.
A very enlightening read. I learned a lot especially about genetic science. Genetic research is now in vogue today especially in cancer research.

Sharon Moalem is a highly successful Doctor of Medicine and also a PHD in the Science of Microbiology Research. An interesting combination.
He is also a very good writer. You will love this book as I did! As a layman you will learn a great deal about human sickness disease and its history. This book does not make you a doctor because it is simplified, but you will begin to understand what is going on in medicine.
A Great Read.

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but I thought this was a wonderful book. The main theme - how the same ...

August 9, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I am not of a scientific bent, but I thought this was a wonderful book. The main theme - how the same genes that cause illness can be helpful as well was very interesting. The second theme of how genes may be present but not expressed - that is, beyond dominant and recessive, something prevents them from being active in the person and how often and in how many ways this happens was new to me.
The writing was incredible. It was easy for a non scientist to understand, which was definitely a plus, but the writing was wonderful. There were clever similes and funny asides and a powerful flow of thoughts that pulled you right in - I read this is an amazingly short time, in fact, I went back and read it a second time. In short, the ideas were very intriguing and the writing first rate (many fiction writers couldn't do as well for style and readability). It may not be enough for someone with a very deep understanding of the subject but I thought it hit the perfect note for the layman.

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July 11, 2016

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is going into my list of favorite books. Sharon does an amazing job of cutting through eons of science narratives to give practical insight into what "we" really are the why behind our evolution. Read this book along with "Human: The Science Behind What Makes Us Unique" by Brian Gazzaniga and "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins and you'll see more doors of curiosity open up in your own biology than you may be prepared for. I highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates good scientific research and theory.

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minorwork

Finding reason in genetic disease

May 5, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Recommend for sex education before puberty. Why? In the light of modern technological techniques of planned parenting and ability to log the nuances of both parents DNA, a new consideration in the education system highlight the workings on the history of genetics and its shaping by environmental selection before reaching reproductive age.

4 instead of 5 stars for the work I had to do to check a few things such as genetic material in red blood cells and fingernails. As outrageous as it seemed to me, some local breast cancer researchers confirm that modern techniques can find extremely small amounts of DNA and if caught at the right time even red blood cells MIGHT contain DNA. Moalem did not make the nuances of this in his writings.

Particular kudos goes to him, IMO, for getting to epigenetics relationship to jumping genes.

Pretty complex areas he covers for this coal miner, but I do have a problem with his reasoning for selecting of genetic tendencies to diabetes. Readers can make up their own minds.

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Barbara Lamson

An extraordinary life by an extraordinary woman.

May 20, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Brutal honesty. To face ones past head on and alone is strength beyond any I've ever known.
It is actually terrifying in its purest form. A mother, who basically would have die so she can be a hero.
Chilled me to the bone and I recommend it to all readers, regardless of genres. It is well worth your time.

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Amazing story of Evolution, Biology and why we are here told in a way anyone can understand

June 22, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This book is probably one of the most significant books I have ever read. Sharon makes it for even Layman to understand the complex world of evolution and our role in the grand scheme of things. Many obscure things make sense after reading this great work. Thank you so much for writing something so great!

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Survival of the Sickest: A Medical Maverick Discovers Why We Need Disease 1st Edition

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