Institutional neonatal care as a manifestation of modern biosocial cooperation
Authors:
Tomáš Smrček
Authors‘ workplace:
1. lékařská fakulta UK v Praze
Published in:
Čas. Lék. čes. 2026; 165: 193-197
Category:
Review Article
Overview
We don’t see institutional neonatal care as a cold triumph of modern technocracy, but as the peak of an ancient human evolutionary strategy – biosocial cooperation and alloparenting. We trace care for vulnerable newborns from the evolutionary roots and selfless altruism seen in higher primates, through the deconstruction of myths about ancient eugenics with modern paleopathological findings in Greece, all the way to today’s neonatal intensive care units.
Using the example of kangaroo care and the neurobiological response of medical staff to newborn crying, we show that modern high-tech medicine basically revives evolutionarily natural mechanisms of empathy. Institutional neonatal care for babies with extremely low birth weight is thus an example that humanity isn’t about the survival of the strongest, but about the collective ability to protect the weakest.
Keywords:
Evolutionary biology – Neonatal care – biosocial cooperation – alloparenting – kangaroo mother care
Sources
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Labels
Addictology Allergology and clinical immunology Angiology Audiology Clinical biochemistry Dermatology & STDs Paediatric gastroenterology Paediatric surgery Paediatric cardiology Paediatric neurology Paediatric ENT Paediatric psychiatry Paediatric rheumatology Diabetology Pharmacy Vascular surgery Pain management Dental HygienistArticle was published in
Journal of Czech Physicians
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