The Lives of a Cell by Lewis Thomas

The American physician-scientist in medicine, Dr. Lewis Thomas addresses few of the numerous theories and misconceptions regarding the vast complexity of the earth and the human body at a cellular level. The focal points of The Lives of a Cell includes the foolishness of Modern Man and his falsely claimed superiority over nature, the cell’s authority over one’s entity, and the uniformity of the earth’s life. Backed by degrees from Princeton and Harvard, Thomas conveys his overall purpose of how everything on earth is interconnected in some way. Thomas directs his perspective towards an older audience whose interest gravitates towards biological discoveries. To relay his message to his readers, Thomas utilizes rhetorical devices to argue for the previously mentioned topics, including the belief that we are not isolated as a separate entity but are shared, rented and occupied by an ecosystem of cells.

                Thomas expands into the black hole of existential crisis as he suggests that man may not even be his own entity as cells within his body has even smaller organelles that have their own special genome, such as the mitochondria.  He dives deeper into this theory by stating, “I like to think that they work in my interest, that each breath they draw for me, but perhaps it is they who walk through the local park in the early morning, sensing my senses, listening to my music, thinking my thoughts” (Thomas, 359). Here, the personification of the symbiotic organelle is to emphasize the individualism the mitochondria exercise when functioning within his body. Additionally, Thomas questions his existence when carrying out daily activities in order to establish the sense of loss he feels when he realized that his identity might just be a large collection of cells. In the end, he uses this concept to compare how the mitochondria are to us as we are to the world.

Separate Entities
(Stuart McMillen)

                I believe that Thomas was successful in accomplishing his purpose as it aids the audience to understand that man is wholly embedded to nature. His essay encourages the feeding of the mind and raises eyebrows of those who have never seen the world through his eyes. Thomas’s use of rhetorical devices further guides the readers to understand the connection and the relationship between the entire earth and a single mitochondrion from a larger lens.