title: Evolutionary approach to medicine.
abstract: A new discipline in the medical field, called Darwinian (or evolutionary) Medicine, has arisen to study how natural selection could shape a machine as complex as the human body without eliminating its vulnerability to diseases. It asserts that systems and organs that form our bodies result from millions of years of evolutionary advances and are designed to survive in order to reproduce. According to this principle, Nature does not strive for complexity or perfection-it is blind and random. Using the scientific knowledge that has revolutionized biology, Darwinian Medicine seeks to provide an explanation for diseases based on the evolutionary process. This new discipline, in short, can undoubtedly help physicians in their medical practice, though further research is necessary to improve understanding of the range of its clinical application.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, School of Medicine, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Berlim
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Abeche
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D005334:Fever / Q000235:genetics; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000235:genetics; D007239:Infections / Q000235:genetics; D019190:Iron Overload / Q000235:genetics; D008511:Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010686:Philosophy, Medical; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D013038:Specialization