In 1859, Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, a work of literature that not only provided a working framework for the theory of evolution, “descent with modification” by means of natural selection, but also explained how the cumulative impact of natural selection influenced an organism and its environment. Darwin, however, neglected to mention how infectious diseases have served as a pivotal selective force in natural selection (Lederberg, 1999). Since animals first walked the earth, they have had to live with microscopic organism, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Not only did these microorganisms share an environment with animals, they interacted with them, causing both illness and death. Humans were no exception. Since the evolution of man, humans have had to adapt to these microbes at the genetic, as well as societal level, implementing environmental changes to survive (Inhorn & Brown, 1990). In this paper, I intend to explore how infectious diseases had an impact on human adaptations by demonstrating a coevolutionary relationship between humans and the microorganisms humankind has tried to evade.
Infectious disease can be defined as an invasion caused by organisms ranging from microscopic viruses and bacteria to complex parasites (Inhorn & Brown, 1990). According to Inhorn & Brown, it can be argued that infectious diseases were the main agents and driving force of natural selection over the past 500 years, selecting against those humans that were more susceptible to a disease causing agent and selecting for those individuals that were more resistant to a disease causing agent. Inhorn & Brown based their premise on evolution at the microscopic level. The organism’s ...
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...ase, a biological arms race that is still in progress today.
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Plagues and Peoples written by William H. McNeill follows the patterns of epidemics and endemics within human history. It is within this history that McNeill finds parallels between diseases and humans in the forms of microparasitism and macroparasitism. Merely from the title, McNeill gives equal importance to viruses and humankind. In several instances, humans behave the same way viruses, bacteria, and parasites do in order to survive and to compete. Surprisingly enough, McNeill’s overarching theme can be summarized using his last sentence, asserting that “Infectious disease which antedated the emergence of humankind will last as long as humanity itself, and will surely remain, as it has been hitherto, one of the fundamental parameters and
Roos, Anna Marie E. "Plague, Early History." Infectious Diseases: In Context. Ed. Brenda Wilmoth Lerner and K. Lee Lerner. Vol. 2. Detroit: Gale, 2008. 627-634. In Context Series. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.
Thomas disccuseed thr “paranoid delusions on a societal scale,” that we have against human diseases or our “enemies.” The book contiuniuously uses anaphora by saying that diseases result from “inconclusive negoitions for symbiosis” and misinterpretation of biology” The fact that bacteria can only be harmful from practiacally harming themselves is an interesting point to point out. That shows the reader that the only way they could be harmed from bacteria, wouls be if the bacteria had gotten itself “sick” first. Thomas talks about certain microorganisms that have “advantages in their ability to affect himan beinhg, but that there is nothing to be gained, in an evolutionary sense, by the capacity to caue illness or death.” Another reassuraing statement for readers is when he says, pathogenicy is a disadvantage for most microbes because they are carrying
Plagues and Peoples. By William H. McNeill. (New York: Anchor Books: A division of Random House, Inc., 1976 and Preface 1998. Pp. 7 + 365. Acknowledgements, preface, map, appendix, notes, index.)
Disease and parasitism play a pervasive role in all life. Many of these diseases start with microparasites, which are characterized by their ability to reproduce directly within an individual host. They are also characterized by their small size, short duration of infection, and the production of an immune response in infected and recovered individuals. Microparasites which damage hosts in the course of their association are recognized as pathogens. The level of the interaction and the extent of the resultant damage depends on both the virulence of the pathogen, as well as the host defenses. If the pathogen can overcome the host defenses, the host will be damaged and may not survive. If on the other hand the host defenses overcome the pathogen, the microparasite may fail to establish itself within the host and die.
It has been written about, debated over, and has affected every culture it has come into contact with. One can only be amazed when examining the microscopic syphilis bacterium. It traveled the seas of 1492 with Columbus, fought alongside Hitler in the war of the worlds, and gambled with the likes of Al Capone. 2 This bacterium has been a part of hundreds of year’s worth of human history, and probably thousands of year’s worth of prehistory. Technology has enabled us to sequence the genome of syphilis, exposing every possible characteristic and genomic code function, yet no one knows where the bacterium calls home. Syphilis has revolutionized western medicine and our approach to public health, yet no vaccine has been developed. It is a mystery how historical evidence has shown the symptoms of the disease since the beginning of mankind, yet outbreaks still occur in modern time. By understanding the theories of origin, the morphological, genomic, and relative characteristics of the disease and its treatment, the riddle of this disease may be cracked in the near future.
Anyone with even a moderate background in science has heard of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution. Since the publishing of his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection in 1859, Darwin’s ideas have been debated by everyone from scientists to theologians to ordinary lay-people. Today, though there is still severe opposition, evolution is regarded as fact by most of the scientific community and Darwin’s book remains one of the most influential ever written.
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There are many reasons that disease is a necessary part of an ecosystem. First, and most obvious, is the fact that it is one of nature’s natural checks. This means that nature, in an attempt to control population and insure a balanced ecosystem, constantly checks itself. Disease is an integral part of these checks, as it cuts down
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Microbes hasve been the cause for many of the large epidemics and diseases seen throughout the world such as small pox, malaria, and tuberculosis. These are just a few of the major diseases seen, but microbes can al...
Hoff, Brent, Carter Smith, and Charles H. Calisher. Mapping Epidemics: A Historical Atlas of Disease. New York: Franklin Watts, 2000. Print.
The occurrence of infectious disease and epidemics has speckled the history of humanity since the first civilization established itself. Considering that a large population can help to foster infectious diseases, and humans share almost 300 communicable agents with animals, the outbreak of epidemics is inextricably intertwined with revol...
Ed. David Zieve. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. The Web.