The book (about Cancer) is stunning, in the amount of research it condenses into its pages. Incredibly, it is written like a whodunit. A little long, in this case it's understandably so. To go from a Persian Queen diagnosed with cancer to the most modern treatments and the biology of the cell- which is the cause or at least the promoter of cancer in a human body, is no joke. And immense amount of research seems to have gone into fighting it too.
It reminded me of Bill Bryson's book in which he has recreated the history of nearly everything. Absorbingly told, it is a no-holds-barred tale of politics, biology, chemistry, medicine, despair, hope and everything in between. At least, an understanding of cancer seems to be within grasp, and the fundamental changes that happen in the cell that goes crazy enough to multiply uncontrollably seem to have been mapped.
Complex as the disease and its manifestations are, partly because the gene mutations are constantly evolving themselves, so there could be a new one as soon as you have conquered an old, there is a ray of hope, and some forms of cancer are far less deadly today.
Maladies are of two major types. Lifestyle induced, and genetic. The genetic ones cannot be treated today, except in fits and starts or with lifelong medication and controls. The lifestyle-induced ones can be prevented or cured by changing your lifestyle, naturally. But this is a choice. For me, the old movie 'Anand' with Rajesh Khanna as the patient with incurable lymphosarcoma of the intestine but spreading sunshine in all the lives that touch him, was an incredible way to look at all maladies, and life. Amen!
A blog about life, Hindi music, films, humour, books, people, places, events, travel, and occasionally, marketing management or leadership. Mostly apolitical, because that is a personal matter that each of us should decide on, and because I don't want to lose readers!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Work Travels in Delhi and Maharashtra
We had a rather hectic week, first at an admission fair in Pragati Maidan, Delhi. We met a few prospective students and counseled them to a...
These Were Liked a Lot
-
The Bangalore Years (1982-84) at IIMB What happens to anyone who goes to an IIM is that his life changes forever. It is a unique environm...
-
There is this game of songs-no idea what it's called in English, if at all- called Antakshari, where you sing a song, and the next pers...
-
Whoever said a rice cooker is only for cooking rice? On the lookout for new ways to make tea since my only gas cylinder got exhausted and w...
-
Two new faculty members, Juhee Singh Verma and Bharat Singh Patel, joined us at Prestige University. Pics of them, with me and some older t...
-
Just started teaching the Digital Marketing course for its second run. In between last year and this year, two important things happened.. ...
-
I am not a food blogger, but I thought why not try everything once? So here is a simple egg curry recipe. Boil 3 eggs. Peel and set aside....
-
I have been experimenting with drinks all my life. In Calicut, my friend Ravi and I tried out innovative cocktails with local ingredients. ...
1 comment:
Heard much about this book. Kept putting it off because I thought it might be depressing. But now I think I will read it.
Post a Comment