Neurosurgeon: Darwin doesn't matter

Award-winning neurosurgeon Michael Egnor makes the obvious clear: Contrary to promotional campaigns aimed at students - at taxpayer expense - Darwinian evolution is not a useful asset to a medical doctor.

Of course not. Basically, the doctor has to deal with a human patient in front of her today. Suppose the doctor has a patient just diagnosed with adult onset diabetes - we'll call her Mrs. Plunkett (wow, does she love sugar in her tea). What difference would it make if cave women never got diabetes? Or always did? The information would be interesting - but not useful. The doctor must persuade Mrs. Plunkett to quit smoking, give up her charge account at Fanny Farmer's, get more exercise, and lose some weight. And so forth. Whatever the evolutionary history of diabetes is, it's just history. The doctor is concerned with futures - specifically, Mrs. Plunkett's future, especially if she doesn't listen to the wise advice she is offered.

Egnor now blogs with the evil Discos (follow the link above).