Lewis Thomas

Megan Yarnall

Lewis Thomas

"We are a spectacular, splendid manifestation of life. We have language... We have affection. We have genes for usefulness, and usefulness is about as close to a 'common goal' of nature as I can guess at." -LT

The Life of Lewis Thomas

Lewis Thomas was a jack of all trades, excelling in every area of interest, and therefore he influenced both science and nature writing (hand in hand) substantially. Born in Flushing, NY in 1913, Thomas was son to a doctor and a nurse, and his interest in his father's profession led him to enter Harvard Medical school in 1933 (Woodlief). According to Woodlief, Thomas went on to an internship at Boston City Hospital, and also became a research fellow in Neurology at Thorndike Memorial Laboratories before entering the naval reserves in 1942 as a medical researcher. Afterwards he continued his medical career at Johns Hopkins, working in pediatrics and gaining experience in research, examining rheumatic fever (Woodlief). Thomas also worked in research at Tulane University, in microbiology and immunology, and at University of Minnesota, again examining rheumatic fever before he became the head of the Pathology Department at New York University Medical School in 1954 (Woodlief). Thomas stayed in New York for 15 years, eventually becoming Dean of the NYU School of Medicine, and also the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Bellevue Hospital while working at NYU in immunology "[building] unusually collaborative and interdisciplinary research teams" (Woodlief). This unique collaborative, interdisciplinary approach is also seen in his writing and critical thinking, as he applies it to his view of human nature and our existence on Earth.

Thomas, who had written numerous science articles and research documents previously, began writing his personal articles in 1971, while he was working at Yale Medical School in the Department of Pathology (Woodlief). According to Woodlief, Thomas's articles mixed "both scientific and natural facts, generally of the human body rather than wilderness or landscape, with personal meditation and a vision of the integral connectedness of man and the universe." Before this, Thomas had been writing his own poems to support himself - but his personal essays began to develop in 1971 (Woodlief). He continued to write as he worked on research in cancer at the Sloan-Kettering Institute, where he became president in 1971 (Woodlief). At this point in his life, Thomas began to focus more on his writing and thinking about human nature and the body's connection to the Earth, and had several books and essays published (Stott), which are detailed below. In 1993, Thomas passed away from Waldenstrom's disease, which is a rare form of cancer similar to lymphoma (Woodlief).

Influences & Inspirations

Thomas's first influence was no doubt his parents, who were both involved in the medical field and therefore the sciences. However, when Thomas began writing and began evaluating the world from his own learned perspective, it became clear that he had other inspirations as well. He was quite interested in music and poetry, and also in the writings and style of Montaigne (Woodlief). These inspirations helped provide cohesion for Thomas's spread of disciplines as he viewed each aspect as equally important and contributive to shaping our world and developing our society. The video below describes Thomas's ideas about the connections between music and biology, and his belief that music is a manifestation of our thoughts and consciousness, therefore influencing our development and our consciousness.

Transition Into Writing For a Public Audience

Thomas wrote poems for The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's Bazaar, and the Saturday Evening Post throughout his residency at Boston City Hospital, in which he was mostly concerned with "medical experiences, death, and war" (Woodlief). The content of these poems is not surprising, considering his background and interests. In 1971, Thomas began writing a monthly column, "Notes of a Biology Watcher," for theNew England Journal of Medicine, with no pay and no editing (Woodlief). Thomas grasped the opportunity and began writing his first personal essays. They focused largely on the connections between the biology of the human body and nature. As Thomas continued writing essays, Viking Press collected them, and in 1974 they were published as a collection of 29 essays in The Lives of a Cell (Woodlief). The essay titled "Lives of a Cell" is the essay in which he begins detailing his foundational metaphor: that of the Earth as a cell (Woodlief). According to Woodlief, Thomas went on to publish a second collection of essays from The Journal, this time titled, The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher. In a third book, The Youngest Science: Notes on a Medicine-Watcher, Thomas continues his development of the connection between man and nature with more personal subjections and definition of style (Woodlief). Thomas moved towards more science fiction type ideas in Late Thoughts on Listening to Mahler's Ninth Symphony as he discusses a nuclear holocaust and putting money towards research for that (Woodlief). His last book, The Final Species, brought together all his research, professional experience, and the ideas expressed in his essays in books, for a final culmination of his fresh and novel ideas (Woodlief).

Thomas's Optimism, Belief in Integration of Disciplines, and Encouragement for Our Future

Integration of Disciplines

Thomas's perspective throughout his writing encouraged his focus on multiple disciplines, rather than on just his medical and biology backgrounds. Growing up in a family with a physician father figure and nurse mother figure, Thomas was exposed solely to science and scientific thought. However, his interest in poetry, literature, and music rounded out his knowledge and his focus, creating a concentration balanced between disciplines. This integration of specialties across the board greatly strengthened and influenced Thomas's writing. Seen first in Thomas's approach to immunology at NYU Medical School, where Thomas "helped transform immunology into a clinical science and built unusually collaborative and interdisciplinary research teams" (Woodlief). Later, in 1982, Thomas penned an article for the New York Times titled "The Art of Teaching Science," in which he described an approach to education that stretched across all disciplines (the sciences, humanities, social sciences, etc) in order to find cohesion between these areas and find a common thread. Thomas found this thread in knowledge waiting to be discovered and decoded: "We might begin by looking more closely at the common ground that science shares with all disciplines, particularly with the humanities and with social and behavioral science. For there is indeed such a common ground. It is called bewilderment. There are more than seven times seven types of ambiguity in science, all awaiting analysis. The poetry of Wallace Stevens is crystal clear alongside the genetic code" ("Teaching" SM89). The recognition of this commonality was important to Thomas's writing because it gave him perspective and a refreshing frame of mind for approaching the complicated web of our relationship with each other and our surroundings. As Thomas saw the relationship between academic disciplines and interests, he could integrate them for his readers as well.

Most importantly, it was this integration that enabled Thomas to reach a wide audience with his writings. More specifically, Thomas was able to facilitate the general public's understanding of science, and also the connection between science and our presence and importance here on Earth.

Thomas bridged the gap between the science sector and the public sector through the use of his metaphors. In "Science, Discourse, and Authorial Responsibility," Fred White tells us "along with the lively, conversational style there is another important factor contributing to the readability of Dr. Thomas's prose: a superb metaphor control. A metaphor universalizes an isolated idea or experience" (35). Since the general public did not have the science education or background and understanding that Thomas had, they simply would not have the tools to consistently comprehend the ideas he was trying to convey about our world. By using a metaphor that everyone could relate to - the Earth - Thomas brought together science and public thought about human nature.

The most significant and prominent metaphor in Thomas's writing is that of the cell as a microcosm of the Earth, and the Earth as a macrocosm of a cell. This metaphor is first introduced in Lives of a Cell. In this book, in the essay "The World's Biggest Membrane," Thomas describes the view of the Earth from outer space, saying: "Viewed from the distance of the moon, the astonishing thing about the earth, catching the breath, is that it is alive. ... It has the organized, self-contained look of a live creature, full of information, marvelously skilled in handling the sun" (145). He goes on to further detail the Earth's functions in regards to the atmosphere as a membrane, expressing how each living thing needs a membrane because "you have to be able to catch energy and hold it, storing precisely the needed amount and releasing it in measured shares. A cell does this, and so the organelles inside" (Thomas, "Membrane" 145). And so does the atmosphere. The layers of gases around the Earth trap sunlight and store it, providing light, heat, and energy for our globe. A cell's membranes do precisely the same thing, holding energy for the cell until the cell needs it. This is just one element of the metaphor Thomas builds between the cell and the Earth. By creating this metaphor, he began to make sense out of the vastness and expanse of our universe, making connections between nearly inconceivable ideas and our everyday lives here on our planet.

Unity of Living Beings

This metaphor represents not only the connection between Earth and man, but also Thomas's great belief in the unity of all living beings. Thomas, in seeing the world as a cell, saw it as a unified body in which everything was linked. According to Mary Ellen Pitts, Thomas "looks to cell biology for many of his examples and extrapolates from the cell some of his key points, such as the interdependence of life forms" (85). Thomas saw the symbiosis that exists between cells as also existing between all life forms on this planet, and our recognition of this interdependence is key to our survival and development as a species. This is the way that life exists in the rest of nature, and we must realize that this is how we fit in. In "Man's Role on Earth," an article that Thomas wrote for the New York Times, he says, "The long record of evolution instructs us that the way other creatures get along in nature is to accommodate, to fit in, to give a little whenever they take a little. The rest of life does this all the time, setting up symbiotic arrangements whenever the possibility comes into view. Except for us, the life of the planet conducts itself as though it were an immense, coherent body of connected life, an intricate system, even, as I see it, an organism" (SM36). This interconnectedness, and our recognition of it, is essential to our survival, according to Thomas.

In the same article, Thomas goes on to tell us, "Our deepest folly is the notion that we are in charge of the place, that we own it and can somehow run it" (Thomas, "Man's Role" SM36). One of our mortal flaws is that we do not realize our symbiotic relationships, and therefore we charge ahead, putting ourselves first and the rest of the planet second, all the while destroying and throwing off kilter the mutual relationships that allow species on our planet to exist (including, perhaps, our own). Though this acknowledgement from Thomas is a bit depressing (we are essentially ruining our own planet; it is our own conceit and selfishness is causing us to ignore other species' needs), the acknowledgement is progress because without acknowledgement of a problem, we cannot solve anything. Thomas claims, "Science, especially 20th-century science, has provided us with a glimpse of something we never really knew before, the revelation of human ignorance" ("Teaching" SM89). With this revelation and confident positivity, Thomas is quite optimistic that we can, indeed, solve the particular problems caused by our previous (and somewhat still current) ignorance.

Optimism For the Future

Thomas's optimism is rooted in his belief that as a species, we are only in our infancy. This may be part of the reason most people have yet to discover our earthly connections with all living things. Thomas says, "Perhaps we are too young as a species - having arrived only moments ago in evolutionary time - and no doubt we have a great deal to learn" ("Humans" A15). We have much to learn from the world around us and from ourselves, but luckily for us, we do have the capacity to do this - and we have no choice but to do this if we want to survive. Thomas credits the human species with a great deal of brain power: "We are the brainiest of animals, perhaps indeed the only species on the planet in possession of consciousness, but for all our frontal lobes we have an enormous deal to learn" ("Humans" A15). The knowledge is out there for us, but we must actively obtain it if we want to make forward progress.

To Thomas, this learning and obtaining of knowledge is seen as a responsibility of ours and as our contribution to the good of the globe. As part of this magnificent "cell" (the Earth), we have a role that we play, just like every other living being. "It is not enough to pay our respects to the earth," he says, "Very likely, we have obligations. Human society is as much a working part of the planet's collective life as any other part, but what are we good at?" ("Humans" A15). We must figure out specifically what our duties and compulsions are so that we may fulfill them. Thomas, in 1978, already knew that we were discovering our own ignorance: "You could forgive us, or excuse us anyway, on grounds of ignorance, and at least it can be said for us that we are, at long last, becoming aware of that. In no other century of our brief existence have human beings learned so deeply, and so painfully, the extent and depth of their ignorance about nature" ("Universe-Watcher E15). It is clear that Thomas's optimism is grounded in his belief that our species has already made significant progress at a relatively young age. This lends him hope because if we are so young and have already accomplished so much, it is implied that we can accomplish much more, keeping ourselves afloat as a species for ages to come.

The next question for Thomas, then, was the problems that our ignorance caused, and how to go about beginning to set ourselves on the right track to return to the necessary harmony with the world around us. In an interview with Peggy Langstaff, Thomas stated, "Also I think the invention of the nation state, which is really historically a recent phenomenon, is obviously a great danger for the earth itself. Nationalism, war departments relabeled defense departments... It's a risky way to live for the planet" ("Strong Voice"). These institutions pit people and nations against each other, destroying the harmony and cohesiveness of the symbiotic relationships that are necessary to survive. It is obvious, to Thomas and to others, that we have made some mistakes along the way in our development.

However, these mistakes are seen by Thomas as critically necessary for our development. In fact, they are the basis of our development. "Mistakes are at the very base of human thought, embedded there, feeding the structure like root nodules. If we were not provided with the knack of being wrong, we could never get anything useful done. We think our way along by choosing between right and wrong alternatives, and the wrong choices have to be made as frequently as the right ones. We get along in life this way. We are built to make mistakes, coded for error" (Thomas, "To Err" 39). Making mistakes is intrinsic for us, and part of recognizing our ignorance lies in also recognizing the value of our mistakes. It is not simply a fixture of our minds to make mistakes, but it is a fixture in all living beings, in all cells (once again creating the metaphor between the universe and the tiniest pieces of our world). "To err is human, we say, but we don't like the idea much, and it is harder still to accept the fact that erring is biological as well. We prefer sticking to the point, and insuring ourselves against change" (Thomas, "Mistake" 29). We are hesitant to accept mistakes because they, more often than not, signal change. Yet Thomas insists that this change is what we need, and these mistakes are what keep our progress moving along. And now, from our mistakes, we must learn to be cognizant of the direction we are headed, and make a conscious effort to acknowledge, accept, and develop the inevitable and unavoidable connections we have to all living things on this Earth.

The progress of human kind rests in unity as a species in order to achieve unity with other species as well. We must learn how to get along. Thomas has said, "I think we're undoubtedly here to stay, provided we are able to continue our social development and become more accomplished in the skills of thinking together as members of a social species" ("Strong Voice"). The next step for us is to overcome the divides we have created for ourselves, putting our differences second to our commonalities and the undeniable relationship between humans, and between humans and other species, that must be cultivated in order to survive. This is a matter of both "necessity and evolution, [which] Thomas believes, suggest manifold possibilities for the future" (Weiland 299). The necessity lies in our obligation - if we don't fulfill our obligation, we won't survive, but Thomas is hopeful that we are entirely capable of fulfilling, and will fulfill, our moral imperatives to the planet.

Encouragement in Thomas's Nature Writing

The most critical part of Thomas's writing was his link to the public audience and the accessibility he gave them through his use of metaphors. His insight into the connection between the smallest organisms on Earth and the largest organism - the Earth itself - led to a deeper understanding of the interactions of our world and our place in the world through symbiosis. This understanding in turn led to Thomas's optimism, which laid the groundwork for his frame of mind in believing we have the capacity to shape our future for the better. This recognition of our ignorance, yet also the recognition of our capacity for understanding and change (when we put our minds to it) is no doubt Thomas's most substantial contribution to nature writing and, more importantly, to today's critical thinking about our globe and the tremendous changes that we must make happen if we want to survive. This optimism and confidence in our society was strengthened by Thomas's belief that mistakes were crucial in making progress - without making mistakes, we would never which direction we were to be headed. This idea gave Thomas the strength to find positive change through mistakes that we have already made and continue to make. It is this faith in humankind, along with Thomas's innovative and creative ideas about human and earthly relationships that we must recognize and cultivate, that makes Thomas's writing so strong and influential.

"We pass the word around; we ponder how the case is put by different people, we read the poetry; we meditate over the literature; we play the music; we change our minds; we reach an understanding. Society evolves this way..." - LT

Works Cited

Pitts, Mary Ellen. “Undermining the Authority of Science.” Rendezvous: Journal of Arts and Letters 25.1 (1989): 83-90.

Thomas, Lewis. “How Should Humans Pay Their Way.” New York Times 24 August 1981: A15.

- - -. Interview with Peggy Langstaff. “A Strong Voice on a Fragile Subject: Lewis Thomas and the World We Share.” Bookpage. April 1992. 18 February 2009.

- - -. “Note from a Universe-Watcher: ‘We Are the Newest, the Youngest, And the Brightest Thing Around.” New York Times 2 July 1978: E15.

- - -. “Man’s Role on Earth.” New York Times 1 April 1984: SM36.

- - -. “The Art of Teaching Science.” New York Times 14 March 1982: SM89.

- - -. "The Wonderful Mistake." The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher. New York: Viking Press, 1979.

- - -. "To Err is Human." The Medusa and the Snail: More Notes of a Biology Watcher. New York: Viking Press, 1979.

- - -. "The World's Biggest Membrane." The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher. New York: Viking Press, 1974.

Stott, William R. “Thomas, Lewis.” American National Bibliography Online.

Weiland, S. “A Tune Beyond Us, Yet Ourselves: Medical Science and Lewis Thomas,” Michigan Quarterly Review 24 (1985): 293-306.

White, Fred D. “Science, Discourse, and Authorial Responsibility.” San Jose Studies 10.1 (1984): 25-38.

Woodlief, Ann. "Lewis Thomas." 2003. Dictionary of Literary Biography: Volume 275: Twentieth Century American Nature Writers: Prose. 18 February 2009.

http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/LewisThomas.htm

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Credit for Photo: http://info.med.yale.edu/library/exhibits/yalemed3/1971-1981.html

Credit for Beginning and End Quotations: “Science Quotes by Lewis Thomas.” Today in Science History. www.todayinsci.com/T/Thomas_Lewis/ThomasLewis-Quotations.htm