Evolutionary Medicine

With the help of evolutionary biology, founded by Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace, physicians have gradually adopted the message of the theory of evolution and created a new field of work—evolutionary medicine. This chapter briefly discusses the history and content of modern evolutionary theory. It presents the vast periods of time that are significant for the evolution of humans and other species. Evolutionary medicine is a new field that contributes to the explanation of causes of diseases. Three typical examples are presented. This chapter also makes clear why the brain and immune system can be called “selfish” because they dominate the energy distribution in the body. This has reasons that can be clarified with the help of evolutionary medicine.