When they first hear about evolutionary medicine, most doctors ask immediately, ‘How can I apply it in the clinic today?’ This surprises many basic scientists, who expect doctors to share the depth of their curiosity about why the body is the way it is. However, medicine is not a sci- ence, it is a practical profession. Patients bring their prob- lems; doctors try to help. The question, ‘Why has natural selection left the body so vulnerable to this disease?’ seems very abstract to doctors who need to know right now, ‘What is the problem? What treatment is best?’ In response to doctors’ demands for practical applica- tions, it is tempting to.
