The biological explanations for cancer, genes, viruses, infectious agents, causative factors of cancer and the central dogma of molecular biology that we take for granted nowadays as part of the syllabus taught ubiquitously in schools actually required so many years of persistent effort by scientists, researchers and clinicians from all walks of life to provide conclusive evidence of the facts. The long years and sheer effort it took for oncologists, physicians and scientists to convene on the biological underpinnings and hallmarks of cancer are indeed admirable-a testament to the transformative power of medicine and science. It is only after reading this book that I truly came to see how every disease has a unique story and distinctive history. History offers valuable lessons for the present and the future, which is as true in medicine and science as in any other discipline.īefore reading this book, I had always approached cancer from a retrospective perspective, looking at it from the established knowledge of modern biology. Sometimes, we are so enthused by the novelties of science and technology that we forget to look back at how we even made it to this point. Indeed, these questions were what made the book stand out to me. How old is cancer? What are the roots of our battle against this disease? Or, as patients often asked me: Where are we in the “war” on cancer? How did we get here? Is there an end? Can this war ever be won? In the prologue, Mukherjee asks the questions that captivated him during his two-year fellowship in oncology: Cancer became “an all-consuming presence” in his life.
![serial mediacoder premium serial mediacoder premium](https://i.imgur.com/zehSaf5.png)
Rather, he approaches it first from a personal standpoint-that of an oncologist who has met and treated countless patients that have left indelible marks on his memory.
![serial mediacoder premium serial mediacoder premium](https://www.bicfic.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/mediacoder-premium-crack.jpg)
Reflectionsįascinatingly, Mukherjee does not merely stage a historical narrative of cancer in chronological order.
![serial mediacoder premium serial mediacoder premium](https://cdn.afterdawn.fi/screenshots/normal/4481.jpg)
While early contenders were groping around in the dark like blind mice, pouncing on any new chemical potent enough to obliterate cancer cells, the belatedly revealed molecular basis and causative factors of cancer shone a light on the pitch-black tunnel, carving out a path for targeted therapy and prevention. Mukherjee takes us on a historical whirlwind of the faces, hopes and disappointments behind each new breakthrough in cancer treatment and research.Īs humanity’s knowledge of cancer evolved with science, so did the great minds hunting for a cure. Then, we accompany Sidney Farber in his tenacious fight against childhood leukaemia, followed by the first “multi-drug” chemotherapy regimen concocted by Frei and Freireich and others at the National Cancer Institute. We are brought to the theatres of gruesome surgical operations, where radical mastectomy was pioneered and popularised by William Halsted.
![serial mediacoder premium serial mediacoder premium](https://static.tweaktown.com/content/3/6/3692_088.png)
Both a personal quest and a pharaonic endeavour in scientific education, this thick volume is a joy to behold. The tumour lives within the patient, carried around as a weighty encumbrance.įrom hospital corridors to the winding alleys of the past, Mukherjee brings us on an exhilarating journey to explore the enigma of this age-old disease. A disease of magnificent proportions, cancer became defined though the term “oncology”, which arose from the Greek word onkos, meaning a mass or a load. In this comprehensive, all-encompassing non-fiction blockbuster, Siddhartha Mukherjee embarks on an extraordinary mission to explore the history and evolution of one of the greatest enemies of humanity-cancer.