Biomedicine and the Human Condition
Author | : Michael G. Sargent |
Publisher | : Cambridge University Press |
Total Pages | : 376 |
Release | : 2005-02-28 |
ISBN-10 | : 1139443933 |
ISBN-13 | : 9781139443937 |
Rating | : 4/5 (33 Downloads) |
Download or read book Biomedicine and the Human Condition written by Michael G. Sargent and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2005-02-28 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How to avoid disease, how to breed successfully and how to live to a reasonable age, are questions that have perplexed mankind throughout history. This 2005 book explores our progress in understanding these challenges, and the risks and rewards of our attempts to find solutions. From the moment of conception, nutrition and exposure to microbes or alien chemicals have consequences that are etched into our cells and genomes. Such events have a crucial impact on development in utero and in childhood, and later, on the way we age, respond to infection, or the likelihood of developing chronic diseases, including cancer. The issues covered include the powerful influence of infectious disease on human society, the burden of our genetic legacy and the lottery of procreation. The author discusses how prospects for human life might continually improve as biomedicine addresses these problems and also debates the ethical checkpoints encountered.