@Kaol...
Well, I suppose that in one sense that's an imponderable. In another sense, we could point out that that we did perfectly well without modern technological medicine for most of our evolutionary history. Having said that, many animals self-medicate, and there's evidence that some have at least an inkling of what they're doing, as when they seek out particular soils or astringents as anti-parasitics.

In another sense, though, your question is perplexing: it seems to amount to asking whether we'd have survived as well without the things that helped us survive. Sorry if I've missed your point.

(Didn't know you were a biologist, btw. Hopefully my - no doubt over simplified - account will have been handy to some others.)
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 23 Apr 2008, 12:52, Reply)