Darwin versus Modern Medicine:
Few scientists have been as influential or as controversial as Charles Darwin has. He is considered by many to be the father of the theory of evolution. He knew that there was a great deal of variation among members of a species and that some of these variation made individuals more fit to survive, while it doomed others to be weaker and less likely to survive. His theory of evolution by "natural selection" reinvented modern biology in all of its branches and has sent shock waves throughout the religious world. If Darwin was alive today, and in light of the advances that have been made in modern medicine, he may have to look at things slightly differently. The ability to change those that are "selected for" the advancement and survival of a species has evolved with advances in treating medical conditions *(Caporale, 2003, pg 12). Many medical conditions that were thought of as fatal, during Darwin's lifetime, are now considered treatable and preventable.In defense of Charles Darwin, he did not know anything of the underling mechanisms that caused the variations amongst individuals within a species. He did not know about genes nor did he have today's knowledge of what has been learned from through the human genome project.
It is the advancement the use of in vitro, or test-tube babies. Lastly, his third assumption on evolution was that use or disuse of a variation resulted in evolutionary changes. Leonard Bailey controversially transplanted a baboon heart into a newborn infant, affectionately known as Baby Fae (Ravelingien, et al, 2004). All of Darwin's assumptions are still relevant today, though there are some exceptions to his theories. Is this what Charles Darwin had in mind when he was contemplating his theory of evolution, using parts of one species for use in another species to sustain its existence? Another advance that has challenged Darwin is that of in utero surgical procedures. It has been demonstrated that while Charles Darwin's original theory of evolution is still valid, today's advances in the areas of medicine and technology have altered the "natural selection process" of how the human species has survived. This surgical procedure is carried out on a fetus before they are born to correct a congenital defect. Is this truly survival of the fittest?Another challenge to Darwin's "evolutionary theory" is that of organ transplantation. The first assumption is that to aid in the survival of the species, natural selection variations occur spontaneously, without rhyme or reason.
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Acceptance Essays
