.
My heart welled. Perhaps the salt air and sweet scents had already
made me more magnanimous. In any case, unexpectedly, I found myself
announcing that I would make it my personal commitment to see that
every student was fully prepared for the final exam, if they would
commit to providing matching ef forts. When they realized I was truly
committed to their success, I could see the lights flash on in their
previously panicked eyes.
Feeling like an embattled coach revving up the team for the Big Game,
I told them I thought they were every bit as intelligent as the students I
taught in the States. I told them I believed their State-side peers were
simply more proficient at rote memorization, the quality that enabled
them to score better in the medical college admissions tests. I also tried
very hard to convince them that histology and cell biology are not
intellectually dif ficult courses. I explained that in all of its elegance,
nature employs very simple operating principles. Rather than just
memorizing facts and figures, I promised they were going to gain an
understanding of cells because I would present simple principles on top
of simple principles. I of fered to provide additional night lectures, which
would tax their stamina after their already long lecture- and lab-packed
days. The students were pumped up after my ten-minute pep talk. When
the period ended, they bolted from that classroom snorting fire,
determined they would not be beaten by the system.
After the students left, the enormity of the commitment I had made
sank in. I started having doubts. I knew that a significant number of the
students were truly unqualified to be attending medical school. Many
others were capable students whose backgrounds had not prepared them
for the challenge. I was afraid that my island idyll would degenerate into
a frenetic, time-consuming academic scrimmage that would end in
failure for my students and for me as their teacher. I started thinkingabout my job at W isconsin, and suddenly it was beginning to look easy.
At W isconsin, I gave only eight lectures out of the approximately fifty
that made up the histology/cell biology course. There were five members
of the anatomy department who shared the lecturing load. Of course I
was responsible for the material in all of the lectures because I was
involved in their accompanying laboratory sessions. I was supposed to
be available to answer all course-related questions asked by the students.
But knowing the material and presenting lectures on the material are not
the same thing!
I had a three-day weekend to wrestle with the situation I had created
for myself. Had I faced a crisis such as this back home, my type A
personality would have had me swinging from the proverbial
chandeliers. Interestingly, as I sat by the pool, watching the sun set into
the Caribbean, the potential angst simply morphed into an exciting
adventure. I began to get excited about the fact that for the first time in
my teaching career, I was solely responsible for this major course and
free from having to conform to the style and content restrictions of team-
taught programs.
C e l l s  a s  M i n i a t u r e  H u m a n s
As it turned out, that histology course was the most exhilarating and
intellectually profound period of my academic career. Free to teach the
course the way I wanted to teach it, I ventured into a new way of
covering the material, an approach that had been roiling in my brain for
several years. I had been fascinated by the idea that considering cells as
“miniature humans” would make it easier to understand their physiology
and behavior. As I contemplated a new structure for the course, I got
excited. The idea of overlapping cell and human biology rekindled the
inspiration for science I had felt as a child. I still experienced that
enthusiasm in my research laboratory, though not when I was mired in
the administrative details of being a tenured faculty member, including
endless meetings and what, for me, were tortuous faculty parties.
I was prone to thinking of cells as human-like because, after years
behind a microscope, I had become humbled by the complexity and
power of what at first appear to be anatomically simple, moving blobs in
a Petri dish. In school you may have learned the basic components of a
cell: the nucleus that contains genetic material, the ener gy-producingmitochondria, the protective membrane at the outside rim, and the
cytoplasm in between. But within these anatomically simple-looking
cells is a complex world; these smart cells employ technologies that
scientists have yet to fully fathom.
The notion of cells as miniature humans that I was mulling over would
be considered heresy by most biologists. T rying to explain the nature of
anything not human by relating it to human behavior is called
anthropomorphism. “T rue” scientists consider anthropomorphism to be
something of a mortal sin and ostracize scientists who knowingly employ
it in their work.
However, I believed that I was breaking out of orthodoxy for a good
reason. Biologists try to gain scientific understanding by observing
nature and conjuring up a hypothesis of how things work. Then they
design experiments to test their ideas. By necessity, deriving the
hypothesis and designing the experiments require the scientist to “think”
how a cell or another living or ganism carries out its life. Applying these
“human” solutions, i.e. a human view of resolving biology’ s mysteries,
automatically makes these scientists guilty of anthropomorphizing. No
matter how you cut it, biological science is based to some degree on
humanizing the subject matter.
Actually, I believe that the unwritten ban on anthropomorphism is an
outmoded remnant of the Dark Ages when religious authorities denied
any direct relationship existed between humans and any of God’ s other
creations. While I can see the value of the concept when people try to
anthropomorphize a light bulb, a radio, or a pocketknife, I do not see it
as a valid criticism when it is applied to living or ganisms. Human beings
are multicellular or ganisms—we must inherently share basic behavioral
patterns with our own cells.
However, I know that it takes a shift in perception to acknowledge that
parallel. Historically, our Judeo-Christian beliefs have led us to think that
we  are the intelligent creatures who were created in a separate and
distinct process from all other plants and animals. This view has us
looking down our noses at lesser creatures as nonintelligent life forms,
especially those or ganisms on the lower evolutionary rungs of life.
Nothing could be further from the truth. When we observe other
humans as individual entities or see ourselves in the mirror as anindividual or ganism, in one sense, we are correct, at least from the
perspective of our level of observation. However, if I brought you down
to the size of an individual cell so you could see your body from that
perspective, it would of fer a whole new view of the world. When you
looked back at yourself from that perspective you would not see yourself
as a single entity. Y ou would see yourself as a bustling community of
more than fifty trillion individual cells.
As I toyed with these ideas for my histology class, the picture that kept
recurring in my mind was a chart from an encyclopedia I had used as a
child. Under the section on humans, there was an illustration with seven
transparent plastic pages, each printed with an identical, overlapping
outline of the human body. On the first page the outline was filled in
with an image of a naked man. T urning the first page was like peeling of f
his skin and revealing his musculature, the image within the outline on
the second page. When I turned the second page, the overlapping images
of the remaining pages revealed a vivid dissection of the body. Flipping
through the pages I could see in turn, the skeleton, the brain and nerves,
blood vessels, and or gan systems.
For my Caribbean course, I mentally updated those transparencies
with several additional, overlapping pages, each illustrated with cellular
structures. Most of the cell’ s structures are referred to as or ganelles,
which are its “miniature or gans” suspended within a jellylike cytoplasm.
Or ganelles are the functional equivalents of the tissues and or gans of our
own bodies. They include the nucleus, which is the lar gest or ganelle, the
mitochondria, the Golgi body, and vacuoles. The traditional way of
teaching the course is to deal first with these cellular structures, then
move on to the tissues and or gans of the human body. Instead, I
integrated the two parts of the course to reflect the overlapping nature of
humans and cells.
I taught my students that the biochemical mechanisms employed by
cellular or ganelle systems are essentially the same mechanisms
employed by our human or gan systems. Even though humans are made
up of trillions of cells, I stressed that there is not one “new” function in
our bodies that is not already expressed in the single cell. Each eukaryote
(nucleus-containing cell) possesses the functional equivalent of our
nervous system, digestive system, respiratory system, excretory system,
endocrine system, muscle and skeletal systems, circulatory system,integument (skin), reproductive system, and even a primitive immune
system, which utilizes


 frozen, use petite peas.)
1 small romaine or butter lettuce, coarsely chopped
Vi teaspoon dried thyme
V* cup water
Sea salt, seasoned salt, or salt-free seasoning
Additional 1 tablespoon sweet butter (optional)
Fresh ground black pepper
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy saucepan. Add garlic, and saute 2-3
minutes to flavor butter. Remove garlic (if halved) and add peas. Saute to
coat with butter. Add lettuce, thyme, water, and sea salt. Simmer, cov
ered, over low heat for 5 minutes for frozen peas and for 10-15 minutes
for fresh peas, stirring frequently to make sure peas don't burn. If water is
absorbed before fresh peas are soft, add a little more. Toss with 1 table
spoon butter, if desired. Use as sauce for couscous, or combine with
couscous and mix well. Serves 2 or 3.
BAKED GARDEN VEGETABLES
This easy method for delicious baked vegetables will work with any assort
ment of vegetables except brussels sprouts, which tend to get bitter.
Vegetables simply baked in butter and their own juices have a unique
flavor that cannot be duplicated with other cooking methods.
202 • FIT FOR LIFE 1 cup carrots, cut into fine matchsticks
2 cups potatoes, peeled, quartered, and cut into '/4-inch slices or 1
small cauliflower, cut into '/2-inch florets
1 package frozen Fordhook lima beans
2 large zucchini, quartered and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups cabbage or bok choy greens, coarsely chopped
'/» cup butter
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced (optional)
'/» teaspoon Spike or salt-free seasoning
Vi teaspoon sea salt (optional)
Fresh ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place all vegetables in heavy oven-proof
casserole with lid. Dot with butter. Sprinkle with parsley, Spike, sea salt,
and pepper. Cover and place in oven for 35-40 minutes or until vegeta
bles are tender.
Toss with additional butter, if desired, and serve with salad. Can
also be added to salad to make the Spring Garden main-course salad.
Serves 4.
Freeze 2 cups cantaloupe wedges (V2 cantaloupe) in an airtight container for
tomorrow's Cantaloupe Ice before going to bed.
DAY TWENTY-ONE—SUNDAY
BREAKFAST:
Fresh juice and the fruit salad of your choice, or Blueberry-Cantaloupe
Supreme * and Cantaloupe Ice *
LUNCH:
Fresh fruit or carrot juice (optional)
Cuke-a-tillas (see page 170), or Tabouli,' and/or Energy Salad (see page
149)
DINNER:
Fresh Vegetable Juice Cocktail, if desired (see page 152)
Savory Cabbage Strudel," or Broiled Fish Steaks (see page 184)
Steamed Vegetables in Lemon Butter Sauce *
Dilled Cucumbers (see page 185), or Grandma's Coleslaw (see page
197)
A FOUR-WEEK EXAMPLE OF THE FITNESS LIFESTYLE • 203 BLUEBERRY-CANTALOUPE SUPREME 10 Mia.
This is a delectable summer fruit salad. Mango can be substituted for the
cantaloupe. A ripe mango will be soft to pressure but not mushy. It should
be very red, yellow-orange, or yellow-green. True green on a mango indi
cates that it is not yet ripe and will be sour. Peel the mango, and cut the
fruit from the seed. Freeze summer fruits for winter enjoyment. To freeze
fruits, cut them into pieces. Quarters are most convenient for peaches,
nectarines, apricots, etc. Berries may be left whole. Melons should be cut
into two-inch chunks. Bananas can be frozen whole, but should be peeled
first. Papayas and mangos should be peeled and cut into pieces. Fruits
should be placed in airtight containers and frozen. All frozen fruits can be
turned into wonderful fruit freezes with a Champion or Oster juicer.
Yz cantaloupe, cut into bite-size cubes or in balls, or 1 mango, cut in
cubes
2 Babcock peaches, peeled and sliced
1 cup blueberries
1 small banana, cut into slices (optional)
Mix all fruits together. On a hot summer day, you might want to top this
salad with Cantaloupe Ice (see below) and serve it for brunch or lunch. It
also makes a beautiful first course for dinner.
CANTALOUPE ICE 3 Mia.
Vi cantaloupe, cut into cubes and frozen
Here's another incentive to purchase a juicer, which will not only enable
you to make your own fresh juices, but will also open the door to a
delicious ice cream alternative: FRESH FRUIT SOFT FREEZE! Soft freeze is
most easily prepared in a juicer. Push frozen fruit through, and out
comes a marvelous frozen dessert, with no chemicals, additives, dairy
products, or sugar! Any frozen fruit can be used: cantaloupe, banana,
strawberries, or whatever you like. They can be used in combination or
by themselves. If you don't have a juicer, soft freeze can be made in your
food processor or blender.
204 • FIT FOR LIFE
: TABOULI 4SMin.
1 cup cracked wheat (bulgur)
Wi-2 cups water
Vi cup fresh parsley, chopped
Vz tablespoon scallions, minced
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped (You may substitute 2
teaspoons dried mint if fresh is not available.)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Vi teaspoon sea salt, seasoned salt, or salt-free seasoning
Fresh ground black pepper (optional)
1 small tomato, chopped (optional)
Combine cracked wheat and water, and soak until wheat is hvdrated and
water is absorbed, from 30—60 minutes. Add parsley, scallions, mint,
olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, if desired. Mix well. Add tomato
and mix gently. Serve at room temperature, or chill until ready to serve.
Serves 4.
SAVORY CABBAGE STRUDEL 1 Hi. 15 Min.
1 tablespoon butter
4 cups cabbage, finely shredded
2 cups bok choy greens, shredded
1 tablespoon currants (optional)
1 small onion, sliced thin
2 scallions, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried dill
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped
Vi teaspoon sea salt, seasoned salt, or salt-free seasoning
Prepare the filling.
Melt butter in large heavy saucepan. Add cabbage and bok choy greens,
currants, onion, and scallions. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring fre
quently, for 3-4 minutes or until greens begin to wilt. Add dill, cilantro,
and sea salt, and cook for 1 minute over high heat, stirring well to thor
oughly incorporate herbs into vegetables. Set aside.
A FOUR-WEEK EXAMPLE OF THE FITNESS UFE-STYLE • 205 1 tablespoon butter
Vi pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Prepare the mushrooms.
In separate large skillet, melt butter. Add mushrooms, and saute briefly
over high heat, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften. Remove
from heat, sprinkle with lemon juice, and add to vegetable mixture. Mix
well.
4 phyllo pastry sheets (available in frozen-food section of supermarket
or at food specialty shops)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 tablespoons dry whole-wheat bread crumbs
Assemble the strudel.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Strain mushroom-vegetable mixture in col
ander, catching liquid in small bowl. Reserve liquid to add to soup,
sauces, or gravy. Lightly butter cookie sheet. Place 1 phyllo sheet on
damp towel. Brush lightly with melted butter. Place second phyllo sheet
on top of first. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs on left-hand side
of phyllo. Fold right-hand side over to encase bread crumbs, making a
rectangle. Brush top lightly with melted butter. Spread Vi vegetable mix
ture along long edge, stopping 1 inch short of the short sides. Fold bor
ders in to encase vegetables. Roll as you would a jelly roll. Place seam
side down on buttered baking sheet. Brush roll with melted butter. Re
peat for second roll. Bake until golden, about 30 minutes. Cut each into
3 or 4 sections. Serves 3-4.
STEAMED VEGETABLES IN
LEMON BUTTER SAUCE 20 Min.
4-6 tender young carrots, cut into '/2-inch cubes
2 medium zucchini
2 medium yellow squash
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Place carrots in vegetable steamer, covered, over boiling water for approx
imately 10 minutes. Add zucchini and squash, whole, and steam 5-7
206 • FIT FOR LIFE minutes or until


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