Nature versus Nurture

I have long been intrigued by the nature versus nurture debate, particularly in the development of intellectual ability. The author’s nephew David is a great example of this – disadvantaged by nature but gained much by nurture. If his parents would have simply said, David has brain damage, David can’t . . . it is unlikely he would have developed intellectually to the degree he did – even graduating from college. Instead they with the help of many other people enabled David to improve areas of weakness and capitalize on his strengths. In David’s case his handicaps were not genetic, but even for those with genetic disadvantages – nurture in the form of a multitude of therapies can help them make the most of what they have and enable them to live full, happy and productive lives. 

As my final project for the herbal studies program I was in I chose to write a paper on therapeutic intervention for those with Down Syndrome. Due to an extra 21^st chromosome, certain genes on chromosome 21 are overexpressed, with their products creating a cascade of biochemical effects. Medical and alternative treatments can help to down-regulate or ameliorate some of these processes. For example, even though people with Down Syndrome are genetically predisposed to low thyroid function they are less likely to be diagnosed and treated than the general population. Low thyroid function is directly correlated to poor mental development. So the Down Syndrome child with genetic overexpression causing deterioration of the brain neurons may also be “slow” because of low thyroid hormone. By taking a Down Syndrome child to a Doctor who considers their health and wellbeing important, other accentuating medical issues can be treated (nurture) which affects how much (nature) the genes they were born with impact their quality of life. Another example of nurture is that Down Syndrome children are genetically predisposed to poor muscle tone and obesity. Simply encouraging activity and movement can greatly improve both of these. Muscle activity (exercise) improves the conversion of the inactive thyroid hormone to the active thyroid hormone which is important for mental function and maintaining a healthy weight. 

And because it fits so well with the nature versus nurture debate and is so deep and true I’m copying this awesome quote from the syllabus. "We pass through this world but once. Few tragedies can be more extensive than the stunting of life, few injustices deeper than the denial of an opportunity to strive or even to hope, by a limit imposed from without, but falsely identified as lying within" - Stephen Jay Gould, The Mismeasure of Man (1981).