The Song of the Cell
How understanding the cell transformed science and our sense of what it means to live.
-
-
3.9 • 7 Ratings
-
-
- $18.99
Publisher Description
A profound, human history of biology’s most vital idea.
From the bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies comes a sweeping exploration of the cell – the building block of all living things. In The Song of the Cell, Siddhartha Mukherjee traces how centuries of scientific endeavour and discovery, from early microscopes to stem-cell therapy, have transformed medicine and our understanding of what it means to be alive.
Woven through this history are stories of patients, scientists, and personal insight. As Mukherjee shows, the cell’s music is the song of life itself – complex, adaptive, and full of wonder. Essential reading for fans of popular science and the history of medicine.
Longlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize 2023
A NEW YORK TIMES, DAILY TELEGRAPH, ECONOMIST, MAIL ON SUNDAY and GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR
‘Will leave you in awe’ Guardian
‘Profound… as big a topic as life itself’ The Times
Customer Reviews
Cellular service
Author
Indian-American oncologist, cancer researcher and author who won the Pulitzer for his first book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer (2010). The Gene: An Intimate History followed in 2016. This is his latest effort.
Summary
Mr M follows the successful pattern of his previous works, both excellent, with a highly readable dive into medical and scientific history, and how it has improved, or at least changed, clinical medicine. The text is sprinkled with numerous illustrative anecdotes from both his patients and his family, which help maintain interest. There’s considerable crossover with material in his previous books, although he injects enough fresh material to make it worthwhile. His style, which was superb 10 years ago, is even better if that’s possible.