The Lives of a Cell
Notes of a Biology Watcher
By: Lewis Thomas
Analysis by
About Lewis Thomas (1913-1993)
▪ Physician, poet, etymologist, essayist, educator, and
researcher.
▪ Born in Flushing, NY in 1913.
▪ Attended Princeton and Harvard Medical.
▪ Became Dean of Yale Medical and NYU School of
Medicine.
▪ The Lives of a Cell won the National Book Awards in the
Arts and Letters category, and The Sciences category.
▪ The Lewis Thomas Prize is awarded annually by the
Rockefeller University to a scientist for artistic
achievement.
A Summary
▪ The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher is a
collection of 29 essays.
▪ It is based around the premise that the entirety of
Earth can be best understood as a single cell.
▪ Thomas talks about the communication between
organisms and the ways of a social organism.
▪ Also talked about is the relationship between man
and the universe, our special place in it, and at the
same time tells us that we’re not all that different
and special.
Major Thesis
▪ “I have been trying to think of
the earth as a kind of organism,
but it is a no go. I cannot think
of it this way.… If not like an
organism, what is it like, what
is it most like? Then,
satisfactorily for that moment,
it came to me: it is most like a
single cell.”
▪ “Who would consider for a
moment that the more than 3
billion of us are a sort of
stupendous animal when we
become linked together?” (pg
103)
▪ One of the major points Lewis
makes in The Lives of a Cell is the
close relationship between
organisms. He often uses
etymology as a starting point, and
in this quote he compares human
characteristics to that of ants.
Thomas’s style is to give a specific
example as to how living things are
connected, then broaden it to
capture a larger scale. In the titular
essay “The Lives of a Cell” he writes
that he tried to think of the earth as
an organism, but says that it is best
understood as a single cell. For
example, within cells there is a
huge amount of communication
and reliance on other components–
organelles.
Purpose
▪ “… we try to read human
meanings in their
arrangements…. Ants are so
much like human beings to be an
embarrassment.” (pg 12)
▪ “The social insects, especially
ants, have been sources for all
kinds of parables, giving lessons
in industry, interdependence,
altruism, humility, frugality,
patience.” (pg. 64)
▪ The purpose of this book is to
make readers draw a
connection and really think
about Earth and living things on
many scales– large and small.
Thomas tries to break it down
by attempting to compare Earth
to a single cell.
▪ A recurring theme is
communication: oral, chemical,
behavioral, and genetic.
Thomas uses ants again and
again to show the parallelism
between humans and insects.
He tries to show that humans
are not “all that.”
Tone
▪ “The usual way of looking at
them is as enslaved creatures,
captured to supply ATP for cells
unable to respire on their own, or
to provide carbohydrate and
oxygen for cells unequipped for
photosynthesis. This masterslave arrangement is the
common view of full-grown
biologists, eukaryotes all.” (pg 84)
▪ “The oldest, easiest-to-swallow
idea was that earth was man’s
personal property, a combination
of garden, zoo, bank vault, and
energy source placed at our
disposal to be consumed…as we
wished.” (pg. 122)
▪ The tone of these essays are very
scholarly. Thomas uses very
elevated language to professionally
relay information. While erudite
and scholarly, Thomas is obviously
very passionate about science and
his enthusiasm shows in the way he
writes. The comparison of a
master-slave arrangement is a
much more involved and thought
provoking than a piece where the
author was detached and
monotonous.
▪ In this second quote, Thomas
might sound a little bitter and
cynical about man. While he does
try to downplay man’s prominence
on Earth, he does not write with a
tone of antagonism or
patronization.
Diction
▪ “If we can rid ourselves of
some of our chronic,
degenerative diseases, and
cancer, strokes, and
coronaries, we might go on
and on. It sounds attractive
and reasonable, but it is no
certainty.” (pg. 56)
▪ “There are fascinating
ideas all over the place,
irresistible experiments
beyond numbering, all
sorts of new ways into a
maze of problems… It is a
puzzling time, but a very
good time.” (pg. 139)
▪ The language used in The
Lives of a Cell is a very learned
jargon. Lewis Thomas is a man
of science and medicine and
uses many biological terms
and elevated language. Many
words are polysyllabic and
uncommon.
▪ Thomas writes very elegantly
and poetically. His enthusiasm
translates into euphonious
words and sentences. This
creates a pleasant tone for the
reader, because it sounds
nicer and flows better.
Figurative Language
▪ “Some animals simply nod
at each other in passing,
never reaching even a first
name relationship.” (pg.
102)
▪ “They are, despite their
efforts at dignity, rather
like young animals
engaged in savage play.”
(pg. 118)
▪ Thomas uses figurative
language like personification
and similes to help readers
make connections. In the first
quote, he talks about animals
being on a first name basis with
each other as if they were
humans. This gives readers and
idea of what kind of
communication and interaction
goes on between organisms. In
the second quote, Thomas uses
a simile to compare scientists in
their journey for information to
savage animals. This again
illustrates Thomas’s
enthusiastic but scientific tone.
Syntax
▪ What are we going to do if it
turns out that we have
pheromones? What on earth
would we be doing with such
things? With the richness of
speech, and all our new devices
for communication, why would
we want to release odors into
the air to convey information
about anything?
▪ “Are we to be stuck forever
with this problem? Where on
earth does it go? Is it simply
stopped dead in its tracks, lost
in humus, wasted?” (pg. 60)
▪ Because the tone of these
essays are erudite and
scholarly, the sentences are
generally very long and
involved. The sentences are
compound and complex to
relay as much information
as possible. Thomas also
asks a lot of rhetorical
questions not really looking
for an answer. They are
supposed to be thought
provoking and make
readers think deeply.
Imagery
▪ “…a single molecule of
which will tremble the hairs
of any male within miles
and send him driving
upwind in a confusion of
ardor.” (Pg 18)
▪ Imagery is used
occasionally to paint a
picture about the actions of
animals. In this quote, a
moth is described using the
sense of feel. There’s the
physical feeling of
‘trembling,’ and the mental
feeling of ‘confusion.’