Analysis Of Survival Of The Sickest By Moelem

Survival of the Sickest is a novel written by Dr. Sharon Moelem in which he gives an interesting take on disease and its effects on evolution. The book explains eight different cases, each detailing an example of a disease that is considered an evolutionary adaptation to help populations survive disease. The cases reveal and explain in depth connections that you would not normally make about why certain diseases arose and are still prevalent. These conditions we now consider diseases are the things that saved people from being killed by highly contagious illnesses that killed thousands and even millions, including the plague and tuberculosis. One case discussed hemochromatosis and how the disease was a survival tool for people in the 1300s
during the plague outbreak. Another case discusses how aging is most likely a process to reduce the risk of cancer. The book makes many interesting points that provoke further thought about how humans evolved to our present day form.