Germ Warfare: Breakthroughs in Immunology

The lives behind the research are retold in this collection of stories about scientists and their ground-breaking work in immunology. Without oversimplifying the scientific aspects, it allows even the nonscientist to share their thought processes and learn more about the body's natural defenses against infection and disease. Subjects covered include the problems that underlie autoimmune diseases and what controls the choice of targets for each disease. Hard facts and details about immunological tolerance, graft-versus-host disease, recirculation of lymphocytes, and the role of the thymus also are examined in a way that is easy to grasp. The stories of the individual scientists' discoveries are often humorous and reflective, while still helping to inform an understanding of the advancements in this field.