‘THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES’- BOOK RIEVIEW

The Emperor of All Maladies written by Siddhartha Mukherjee, tracks the first historical
glimpses of the disease, the development of treatment regimens, the role of prevention, and
the biological mechanisms by which cancer wreaks its various forms of havoc. It's a story of
human ingenuity, perseverance and also the story of failures, death, misconceptions and
human limits.
Title- THE EMPEROR OF ALL MALADIES, Author: Siddhartha Mukherjee, Publication
date: 16 November 2010, Genre: Non-Fiction, Page count: 472.
This book brands itself as a biography of cancer, but to me it tells the story of humanity’s
fight against the disease, and the generations of doctors, researchers and policy workers who
have dedicated their lives to stopping it. The people covered in the book are really
inspirational, and honestly make me proud to study medicine. This book gives objective
views and historical facts about cancer in its various forms and also details all of the major
discoveries in medical history and research related to finding a cure for the disease that is on
its way to becoming the number one cause of death in America. The author also reveals
personal insights and opinions about various practices, discoveries and events.
The essence of the book was captured by the significant quotations like 'Illness is the night-
side of life, a more onerous citizenship. Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship, in the
kingdom of the well and in the kingdom of the sick. Although we all prefer to use only the
good passport, sooner or later each of us is obliged, at least for a spell, to identify ourselves
as citizens of that other place.’ — Susan Sontag.
The author’s intentions are very pure and enduring. I recommend it to everyone because
cancer is something that affects us all, if you don't have it yourself then you know someone
who has had to face that diagnosis. The Emperor of all Maladies really is a biography of
cancer, and the crash course that I think we all could stand to go through for a better
understanding of this disease.
The primary purpose of the author is clear and he wants to make everyone aware about this
deadly disease. Dr. Mukherjee does not merely stage a historical narrative of cancer in
chronological order. 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. Cancer became “an all-consuming presence” in his life. Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee
dives into the history of cancer, discussing and detailing all of the old theories and
procedures, many of which would be considered horrifying if practiced today. He has tried
his best in communicating view, perceptions to his audience. He reveals that cancer has been
around much longer than we knew, providing examples of exhumed corpses from ancient
Egypt that show signs of cancer. Once mankind realized cancer was fast moving and could
take over the body, the historical treatments were intense, with the goal of removing as much
of the affect body parts as possible.
This book ‘The Emperor of All Maladies’ captures the interest of the reader and has proven to
be a book I will always remember—it sticks with you even after you finish it. Dr. Siddhartha
Mukherjee refers to the battle with this disease as “the war on cancer,” and given the yearly
increases in cancer diagnosis in our society, this is something most of us can agree with or
relate to in some way. Science and medicine have come a long way in the past few decades,
and new treatments continue to be discovered and tested. This war is far from over, and with
the knowledge from this history, we should feel more equipped to face it head on.
This book is strongest when it discusses recent research, where details about how new
targeted cancer drugs are developed and how they attack the cancers they target. Dr.
Mukherjee also does not flinch from describing cancer prevention and its villains, chiefest of
which is the tobacco industry. the book is strongest when it discusses recent research, where
details about how new targeted cancer drugs are developed and how they attack the cancers
they target. Dr. Mukherjee also does not flinch from describing cancer prevention and its
villains, chiefest of which is the tobacco industry.
The Emperor of All Maladies deals with the exquisitely refined scientific searchings' and
Mukherjee is a fine writer, very clear, very direct with a sharp eye for emotional and physical
detail. As his reader, though, I was a failure in this last section. My brain doesn’t handle
scientific information well. I don’t have the context for it. I don’t understand much of it. And
I didn’t understand many of the details of the final section although I did grasp some key
points. Such as: Every patient’s cancer is unique because every cancer genome is unique.
discoveries of the nature of cancer and of new methods for attacking various versions of the
disease. He is also extraordinarily good at explaining complex medical and scientific issues
and controversies.
The author devotes most of his pages to developments in laboratory research and clinical
treatment since the 1950s, as cancer medicine moved from a gruesome regimen of radical
surgeries, through the development of radiation treatments, into chemotherapy and combined
therapies and, finally, to the present era, in which research and treatment have finally come
together and biotechnology has given rise to targeted therapies that attack cancer cells and the
genes within those cells. Science and medicine, like all human endeavours, are driven by the
knowledge, intelligence, ambitions and egos of the people involved. "The Emperor of All
Maladies beautifully describes the nature of cancer from a patient's perspective and how
basic research has opened the door to understanding this disease."
This book has plenty of information to gain but has too many detailed discussions. The book
focuses on the changes in cancer diagnosis and the evolution of its treatment. The book is
long, but that just makes it complete. It’s a good reminder that the story of cancer is not
objective. It is affecting all of our lives all the time. But when he recounts the story of how
living with cancer is very interesting and also emotional.
Although the book is obviously full of loss, it ends with hope. We are making progress in the
battle against cancer. And Mukherjee believes we will continue to make progress.
The author explores a wide range of research, historical accounts, and personal stories in this
intensive look at the backstory of cancer. This includes the evolution of cancer’s nature,
treatment, and the scientific and medical communities’ understanding of the disease as well
as the support of the public and politicians in the crucial fight to find a cure.
Dr. Mukherjee has written a remarkable book about a remarkable disease. The story of cancer
is the story of a disease that has altered our expectations of medicine, frustrated our
technological skills, and challenged our brightest minds. Our successes have been hard-won,
and our failures have turned out to be paradigm-changing. That is why cancer is, truly, the
emperor of all maladies. This is genuinely a very good book, as it is very informative, very
detailed, and I would recommend this book to the readers who are interested in the historical
aspects of any researches.