Biomedicine and the Human Condition: Challenges, Risks, and Rewards

ISBN-13: 9780521541480 / Angielski / Miękka / 2005 / 366 str.

Michael G. Sargent

Opis

How to avoid disease, how to breed successfully, and how to live to a reasonable age are questions that have perplexed humankind throughout history. This book explores our progress in understanding these challenges, and the risks and rewards of devising solutions. A broad range of topics are covered, including reproduction, the development of human progeny from conception to adulthood, staying healthy, ageing, cancer, infection and the burden of our genetic legacy.

Recenzje

'Michael Sargent offers an extremely thorough account of the scientific background to improvements in healthcare that followed achievements in clinical research and drug discovery in the 20th century. … [He] offers food for thought about the evolution of medical research and practice.' The Times Higher Education Supplement

Spis treści

Preface; 1. Challenge, risk and reward: learning to control our biological fate; 2. Learning to breed successfully; 3. How life is handled; 4. Cells in sickness and health; 5. Experiences in utero affect later life; 6. Infection, nutrition and poisons: avoiding an unhealthy life; 7. Signs of ageing: when renovation slows; 8. Cancer and the body plan: a Darwinian struggle; 9. Fighting infection; 10. Are devastating epidemics still possible?; 11. Discovering medicines: infinite variety through chemistry; 12. Protein medicines from gene technology; 13. Refurbishing the body; 14. Living with the genetic legacy; 15. Epilogue.