The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human

Written by Siddhartha Mukherjee

Narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris

Brought to you by Penguin.

From the author of The Emperor of All Maladies, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, and The Gene, a #1 New York Times bestseller, comes his most spectacular book yet, about the fundamental unit of life. Rich with Mukherjee's revelatory and exhilarating stories of scientists, doctors, and the patients whose lives may be saved by their work, The Song of the Cell is the third book in this extraordinary writer's exploration of what it means to be human.

In the late 1600s, a distinguished English polymath, Robert Hooke, and an eccentric Dutch cloth-merchant, Antonie van Leeuwenhoek look down their hand-made microscopes. What they see introduces a radical concept that sweeps through biology and medicine, touching virtually every aspect of the two sciences, and altering both forever. It is the fact that complex living organisms are assemblages of tiny, self-contained, self-regulating units. Our organs, our physiology, our selves - hearts, blood, brains - are built from these compartments. Hooke christens them "cells".

The discovery of cells -and the reframing of the human body as a cellular ecosystem - announced the birth of a new kind of medicine based on the therapeutic manipulations of cells. A hip fracture, a cardiac arrest, Alzheimer's dementia, AIDS, pneumonia, lung cancer, kidney failure, arthritis, COVID pneumonia - all could be re-conceived as the results of cells, or systems of cells, functioning abnormally. And all could be perceived as loci of cellular therapies.

In The Song of the Cell, Mukherjee tells the story of how scientists discovered cells, began to understand them, and are now using that knowledge to create new humans. He seduces readers with writing so vivid, lucid and suspenseful that complex science becomes thrilling. Told in six parts, laced with Mukherjee's own experience as a researcher, a doctor, and a prolific reader, The Song of the Cell is both panoramic and intimate - a masterpiece.

© Siddhartha Mukherjee 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House
• Release date: Nov 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781529191592

Siddhartha Mukherjee

SIDDHARTHA MUKHERJEE, cancer physician and researcher, is the author of The Emperor of Maladies: A Biography of Cancer, the 2011 Pulitzer Prize winner for general nonfiction.

Reviews for The Song of the Cell

[kalliegrace · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the third book I've read by Mukherjee, and he always explains his subject very accessibly, but occasionally veers off the path a bit in terms of focus. I really enjoyed this, the brief histories of our learning related to the cell, the new technologies being pioneered with the cell, but I did get just a little lost here and there.

[kristykay22 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Dudes. Have you ever thought about the fact that you are made entirely of cells? And somehow they coordinate their individual activities so you can grow, heal, think, live, and die? Holy shit! In this very readable and fascinating book, Mukherjee weaves together basic cell biology, the history of how we learned what we know so far about cells, his own experience as an oncologist and researcher, and his own personal life experiences. Somehow he keeps all the threads in order and after finishing this book, the reader has a pretty well-rounded understanding of what is going on with our crazy cells, what we still don't understand, and the many people who got us to this point. As a cancer person, this really helped me understand my own treatment (I finally get exactly what it is that neutrophils do and how the CDK4/6 inhibitors I took in my first and second lines of treatment really work!). Even non-cancer people can prepare to have their minds blown. Do you understand diabetes? The immune system? How a sperm and egg turn into a person? Maybe you think you do, but I bet you will learn a few things if you dig into this book. I read Mukherjee's Pulitzer-prize winning history of cancer, The Emperor of All Maladies, and really liked it but found his prose sometimes a bit too flowery for my taste. In The Song of the Cell, he keeps the same novelistic writing style, but (for the most part) reins in the overly florid metaphors. This book was just great. Highly recommended.

[podocyte_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A nice summary of the history cell research and introduction to the work being done in today's cell biology laboratories.

[iudita_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The information in this book was really interesting and well presented. However it is information dense and I would recommend reading it slowly, not only to take it in, but to prevent yourself from getting burned out by it. I was reading it on a deadline and pushed through it which left me feeling a bit overwhelmed with the material at times. It is very readable and easy to understand so don't be put off by the science. Just take your time with it.

[nmarun-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Undoubtedly, this book goes in-depth about the internals of a cell. This is the first book of Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee that I've read and I'm inclined to read his previous books as well.

His analogies about the process of protein reaching its destination using a postal service and that of a human genome to a library helps etch the concepts in our minds. The write is so elegant and involved that many a times I was imagining these cell components as little lives living inside the 'fortress' of the cell city performing their job, mostly diligently - there are failures at times - just like us humans.

I found the text fascinating, enlightening and illustrative on the topic of "What a cell actually does".

[neurodrew · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the third book I have read by this author. He always writes very well, and knows how to enliven the science with personal stories, dramatic clinical histories, and personal facts about the scientists discussed. I think his approach is formulaic, in a sense. All of his scientists are introduced with some tidbit about their outside interests ("rowing fanatic"), habits, appearance, idiosyncrasies, and usually some explanatory biography that motivated them to study a certain topic. The discoveries are always sudden and "breathtaking", although all of them are peering through microscopes at cell cultures. A lot of graduate students and post-docs are involved, and the question of credit for fundamental discoveries comes up often, but the poverty wages of post-docs are never discussed. I am in awe of Mukherjee's genius and productivity, although I do not see how he can be a writer, a clinician, a basic cell biology scientist, a husband and parent, without a large research staff. It woiuld take me a year or two to read all the articles and books he cites. His cell biology history and description is not comprehensive, and he is clearly more familiar with developments in his field of oncology.
I marked many interesting points in his book:
p. 50 - 1858 Rudoph Virchow's doctrine of the cells - omnis cellula ex cellula
p. 98 - 1878 Walther Flemming describing mitosis in salamandar eggs
p. 109 -1968 Robert Edwards & Walter Steptoe (with usual modern nurse who does not get a Nobel) pioneer in vitro fertilization
p. 124 - 2018 "JK", the Chinese scientist who sensationally implanted genetically altered human embryos
p. 137 - 1200 or so, Albertus Magnus described animal and bird embryos
p. 141 - 1920 or so, microtransplantation of embryo parts creates two headed tadpoles
p. 143 - 1961 thalidomide birth defects and FDA scientist Frances Kelsey blocking approval in the US
p. 155 - 150 AD Galen and black bile causing cancer and depression (black bile in Latin is melan-cholia)
p. 165 - 1881 Giulio Bizzonero describes platelets and their role in clotting
p. 178 - 2020 At the shrine of the Indian godess Shitala in Kolkatta, describing variolation for smallpox
p. 211 - 1987 Alain Townsend describing immune function based on class I MHC molecules - structure looking like an open bun for an antigen hot dog
p. 214 - 1990s Class I MHC antigens from inside cells recognized by T8 cells, and peptides in lysozomes loaded on Class II MHC sensed by T4 lymphocytes
p. 227 - 1500 BC or so, Vedic philosophy "atman" (self) and "Brahman" (universal, multitudinous self)
p. 239 - 1994 Immune checkpoint inhibitor CTLA4
p. 252 - 2020 SARS-COV2 stops infected cells from secreting interferon type 1 that signals early infection to T cells
p. 278 - Ramon y Cajal drawings of nerve cells and synaptic boutons
p. 292 - 2003 Helen Mayberg deep brain stimulation in Brodmann area 25 (subcallosum cingulate gyrus) for treatment of depression
p. 300 - 1920 Frederick Banting and the discovery of insulin, in the islets of Langerhan (described in 1869)
p. 321 - 1960 Till and McCulloch paper showing the existence of bone marrow stem cells
p. 324 - 1963 graft vs host disease

[nmele_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mukherjee's book is a history of the development of human knowledge about cells and cellular biology and also a review of current research and treatments involving cells. I learned a good deal from the history and was fascinated by the possibilities ongoing research is opening up.

[scottjpearson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Siddhartha Mukherjee, one of our age’s most brilliant medical writers, is a cancer doctor with research interests in the basic sciences of cell biology and genetics. He is also an engaging writer with a deep knowledge of the history of science. His books, one of which has won a Pulitzer Prize, combine all these crosscurrents to convey a compelling narrative. He’s done it for both genetics and cancer, and here, he hits another home run writing about cell biology.

In this book, he describes the long history of this field and how it has given us more understanding about our bodies’ various facets. He describes how cell biology has impacted various organ systems and translates knowledge of basic science to clinical effects. He also describes patient stories of contemporary impacts of research and cutting-edge research trials that hope to impart new wisdom to the medical establishment.

In this and other works, I’ve read few other authors who can make the history of medicine come alive to the same degree as Mukherjee. His passion for the subject combines many aspects, including stories about scientists’ personal lives, scientific details that have huge impacts on patients (i.e., all of us), and ethical challenges of managing biological innovations.

This book contains a lot of biological knowledge and healthcare experience. Reading about biology is not for the feint of heart. But his prose makes the process enjoyable. Aspiring healthcare workers and biological researchers will benefit from perusing its pages. It can teach a bunch about cell biology while keeping the reader mentally and spiritually engaged. This book provides us with a fun way to learn more about our bodies so that we don’t fall asleep in the process.

[ehousewright-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the third of Dr. Mukherjee's books that I have read-- and I recommend them all highly. I love the historical approach, as he shows scientists building towards our current understanding and possible futures. I also like that he is not only a scientist and science historian but a working physician, bringing practical knowledge as well as theory and experimentation. I look forward to whatever comes next!

[tangledthread · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Once again the author brings complex concepts of biology and medicine to the lay public in this homage to the living cell. The first part of the book is devoted to the origins of cell biology through the use of primitive microscopes, observational techniques, and primitive experimentation. This is a bit slow going.

The story picks up as the narrative enters modern times and we are introduced to Nobel Prize winners who advance the understanding of cellular anatomy and physiology are applied to the practice of medicine. Examples of patients who are treated by techniques developed as a result of these advances are included.

The author is well read and uses literature and metaphor to illustrate and sometimes embellish scientific ideas and concepts. As a hematologist and oncologist, his thinking reflects a deep respect for both the art and science of the practice of medicine.

As this long treatise on the various aspects of the cell comes to a close, the author reflects that much of the past century's research has been based on atomism, attempting to advance scientific understanding by breaking things down to their component parts. He reflects that what we don't understand is how these units relate to one another in a more holistic way and future advances may rely on developing this sort of understanding. Hence the title The Song of the Cell.....using the metaphor of music to encourage the understanding of how cells interact (sing) together for the outcomes we observe.

A favorite quote:

p. 274 "To see his drawings of neurons is to realize how much can be learned by just seeing. It is to return to characters such as Da Vinci or Vesalius who imagined drawing as thinking: an astute observer and draftsman could generate a scientific theory as much as an experimental interventionist. Cajal sketched what he saw and his understanding of how the nervous system "worked" emanated entirely from drawing cells and drawing conclusions."

[waldhaus1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Presenting physiology from an atomic perspective. The bell presented as the atom of physiology. It’s physiological roles are explored along with historical perspectives about who and how they were discovered. I have some quibbles with the narrators pronunciation. But who knows who our what is right. It finishes with an exploration of cloning and genetic modification and asking the question: how does society deal with that.

[liscarey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Siddhartha Mukherjee is a cancer physcian and researcher, and gives us a fascinating history of cell biology and cellurlar medicine. Though cancer is a central interest for him, he clearly makes the case that most of modern medicine, not just cancer research and treatment, is cellular medicine.

He starts in the 1600s, when English polymath Robert Hooke, and Ducth clost merchant Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (how did I not know before this that van Leeuwenhoek was a cloth merchant?) separately discovered the cell while working with early microscopes. Van Leeuwenhoek was mostly dismissed because he was a cloth merchant and didn't describe his discovery, or present it, in scientific terms. Hooke was much more respected, being a scientist, but his polymath interests made it harder for him to get a lot of attention for cells. When van Leeuwenhoek read one of Hooke's papers and wrote to him, Hooke had another person who had seen the same thing, and van Leeuwenhoek had a much more persuasive voice to make the case for what he'd seen.

This wasn't immediately as effective as one might think, but it did ensure that van Leeuwenhoek's work got more attention, was preserved, and eventually made him an important figure in the history of cell biology.

Mukherjee gives us an absorbing history of the advance of the science of cell biology, and the beginnings of cellular medicine, starting with the beginning of vaccination--in the Middle East, Africa, India, and China, before reports of it reached Europe, and Edward Jenner learned of milkmaids being apparently immune to smallpox after getting cowpox. It's a fascinating history, and revealing of how much we overlook in the condensed and biased versions of history we get in school.

The main focus of this book, though, is how cellular biology has permeated medical research and the practice of medicine, especially but not only in the research, understanding, and treatment of cancer. Cancer, of course, is not one disease, but many diseases, caused by mutant cells that have a lot in common but many differences, too. No one approach is effective against all cancers. Sometimes seemingly the same cancer in one person responds differently when it spreads to different parts of the body. Mukherjee tells stories of heartwarming victories, but also of heartbreaking losses in the battle against cancer in different patients.

In the course of this, he shares the intricacies of the immune system, its complexities and still-unfolding mysteries. The narrator, Dennis Boutsikaris, does an excellent job, witha wondefully clear reading that expresses Mukherjee's passion for his topic,

Altogether, an excellent listen. Highly recommended.

I bought this audiobook.