The Song Of The Cell by Siddharta Mukherjee

 

In this nonfiction work, Mukherjee, a scientist and oncologist, takes the reader from the discovery of cells in the 1600s to the present.  He explains the parts of the cell, how it works in the body, what can go awry and the ethical issues that now face scientists as they push the envelope in cell knowledge.  Along the way, he also tells his own personal story and what drew him to the field.

The reader will learn about the first blood transfusions, how cells play a part in disease and how they can be manipulated to cure them.  The first IVF baby, Louise Brown, in England, is discussed and what big news her birth was along with the issues that were raised by manipulating cells in a lab to fertilize them and reinsert them into a woman to produce a baby.  He discusses the rise of the AIDS epidemic and how physicians were nonplussed by the first cases which were unlike anything they had seen before.  He also discusses the recent advances that allow changes by humans in the DNA of a cell which then replicates, hopefully providing relief for various illnesses such as sickle cell anemia.  

Siddharta Mukherjee was born and raised in India, coming to the United States for his university education.  He is a Rhodes Scholar and attended Stanford, Oxford and Harvard Medical School.  His prior books, one on cancer and the other on the gene, received awards and popular acclaim.  One of his strengths is writing on advanced scientific topics in a way that they are understandable to those who do not have his background and knowledge.  This book is recommended for nonfiction readers.