Lappe argues that viruses are capable of rapid evolution, which allows them to overcome antibiotics, and that humanity's disruption of ecosystems threatens to unleash new viruses. He notes that during the first widespread use of antibiotics following W

The book covers several major issues, including ecosystem disruption and disease, attacks against the self, cancer, malaria, and AIDS. The impact of humans on the environment greatly contributes to the dissemination of infectious diseases. Human population is constantly growing, forcing them into new environments and introducing virgin populations to new microbes, which can be extremely virulent. As a result of the destruction of their ecosystems, many animals have been forced to take over human ecosystems with disastrous results. Wild animals carry a myriad of microbes and are extremely unpredictable. As a result, new diseases are being introduced to the human population and old diseases are evolving to continue their assault. An example of this is the wild fox and coyote problem and the Rabies cases that they bring. Lappe presents a range of illnesses, from AIDS and cancer to asthma and malaria, to illustrate the evolutionary processes involving humans and pathogens. The chapter on AIDS contains some controversial material, however, it needs to be placed before the researcher so that "no stone is left unturned" in this search for the cause of AIDS and a search for a cure or vaccine. "Because of its newness in the human population and its high mutation rate, it is likely that the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS is undergoing evolutionary changes even as this is being written." That in itself is frightening when one thinks of how research is conducted. If the virus is evolving faster than we can research it, then we are losing the battle until such a time that the evolutionary process crosses itself and begins to cancel out its progress. There is no doubt that evolutionary biology will become more important as the years go on in the search for controls to all diseases. As data is collected and analyzed, the evolution of the disease being studied becomes more important. We will not just think of the victim and its immediate problems, but will think of the entire evolutionary life of the virus or disease. Taking this approach now will increase the ability of future researchers to properly analyze how the microbes are adapting to their environments and help them to develop more effective techniques to combat these diseases before more resistant

Some topics in this essay:
War II, Medicine Lappe, Origins Disease, Pasteur Darwin, Evolutionary Medicine, evolutionary medicine, changes microbes, human population, evolutionary changes, evolutionary biology, patterns disease, changes microbes changes, approach medicine, evolutionary changes microbes, health care, evolution disease, diseases lappe, social legal policies,