The Lives of a Cell by Lewis Thomas

"Man is embedded in nature" (358).  Those five words summarize Lewis Thomas's essay, The Lives of a Cell, into what its overall purpose is.  To inform mankind how important cells are, and how they all come from nature.  Thomas graduated from Princeton University, then went on to Harvard Medical school where he gained his knowledge to become a physician.  He was a Pulitzer Prize winner for general nonfiction, which led to his strongly praised essays and research, such as The Lives of a Cell.  This essay was written for the New England Journal of Medicine, and was spread around to many books and different physicians, becoming a well regarded text.  Thomas wrote this with the intentions to prove his purpose that we may not think about nature, but without it, we literally would be non-existent.  We are made up of nature, including the individual cells that we need to make our body function, and make every day life possible.  He uses mitochondria as a metaphor to orchestrate his purpose, proving that they seem to be little parts of nature that mean nothing to us, but in reality are more complex and necessary than Jamaica Bay (359).  This metaphor is meant to make us realize that the little things we see and use may be of little help, but without them (nature) we are nothing.  Lewis had an intended audience of doctors and any readers of the New England Journal of Medicine, but his metaphoric references and use of imagery made the essay blow up into something high school students can read to understand the importance of nature, which is exactly what Thomas's initial purpose was.  If one were to ask these readers, anyone from high school level to Harvard Medical school, everyone would agree that his purpose was accomplished in just two short pages.

PHOTO: Kingsley Felix, These are just some of the thousands of little but very important cells we need and rely on.