5 Books That Left an Impression-Book 2
The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher
Lewis Thomas
As I mentioned earlier, my diversity of reading genres and subjects is as varied as my music playlist. And this definitely falls into that category. Lewis Thomas (November 25, 1913 - December 3, 1993) was an etymologist and essayist. He was invited to write regular essays for the New England Journal of Medicine. These essays were eventually collected and published as books, the first being "The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher (1974). The third book of essays published was The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher (1979) which, naturally, was the book that I read first!
Have you ever picked up a book for no particular reason and started reading, finding it interesting enough that you just went ahead and read it through? I did this with this book. Since it was a collection of essays, it was an easy read with different topics in short chapters. I did not know who Lewis Thomas was and had never heard of him. I can probably count on one hand how many articles that I have read out of the New England Journal of Medicine. What articles I have read were probably attached to a particular news story that I found interesting. Wikipedia did not exist or was not well known when I first read this book so finding background info and list of books from Lewis Thomas was more difficult at the time. However, his writing and take on subjects was refreshing, sometimes comical and lighthearted.
It was good to read the musings of someone completely out of my circle of influence. I feel that there are times that we need to see other perspectives. I am not a huge evolution believer as some folks are due to both my religion and the very large gaps in the theory. I do believe that life on earth has existed for thousands of years, the evidence is there. And because of Thomas' career in etymology, he touches on those subjects as well. Not pushing you towards a definitive conclusion that you have to accept, or risk being labeled an unbeliever. But musing about the subject and discussing it in a way that is easy and understandable. It is almost as if you are sitting down in an easy chair next to him with a coffee or short pour of bourbon and visiting.
What impressed me most about this book and the other book that I read (The Youngest Science: Notes of a Medicine-Watcher - 1983) is the ease that you can get into a discussion with the writer. Even though he is the only one talking, you find yourself nodding your head, either agreeing or maybe not so much agreeing but at least seeing the other viewpoint. Which is something I feel we are missing sometimes these days, hearing a different viewpoint with empathy and understanding. It doesn't need to be one viewpoint only, with no room for additional thought and consideration. It should be two friends, sitting in a comfortable room having a conversation on a large and varied range of subjects. Lighthearted and full of camaraderie that, in the end, leaves you saying 'That was fun! Let's do it again some time.'
Let me know in the comments below if you have read any of Lewis Thomas' books and which ones may be in your library. I'd also be interested to know if you have ever experienced such a conversation with someone of different opinions and viewpoints that was comfortable and natural.
