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The biology of immunologic disease
CLINICAL
IMMUNOLOGY
AND
IMMUNOPATHOLOGY
32, 392 t 1984)
BOOK REVIEW The Biology FISHER.
of Immunologic
Sinauer Associates,
Disease. Edited by F. J. DIXON
Sunderland,
AND D. W.
1983. 399 pp~, $27.95.
One of the most widely read immunology books in the seventies was Good and Fisher’s Immunobiology, which made a deep and lasting impression on many young and veteran immunologists. Combining the expertise of the greatest immunologists of the time and the talents of a great team of scientific artists, the book became a must for those interested in clear, updated reviews and became the source of countless teaching slides. Sequels are supposed to never be as good as the original production, but 13 years later, opening its undeclared sequel was a most gratifying surprise. Using the same basic recipe of Immunobiology, Dixon and Fisher edited one of the most readable and entertaining reviews of modern immunology. The contributions, originally published in Hospital Practice, were updated to the general state of the art of about 1 year ago, and the editors carefully prevented the contributions from tangling the readers with cryptic&m or unnecessary technical details. This is one of the rare books that one wants to read cover to cover because of its clarity, the excellence of its illustrations, and its spectrum of interesting topics; it is, undoubtedly a deserving companion to its classic predecessor. The list of contributors to The Biology of the Immunologic Disease includes most of the great figures of American immunology, including K. F. Austen, B. Benacerraf, H. Cantor, F. J. Dixon, E. C. Franklin, II. Gewurz, R. A. Good, R. B. Herberman, K. Ishizaka, H. G. Kunkel, P. Leder, H. J. Mtiller-Eberhard, M. B. A. Oldstone, M. D. Scharff, J. D. Stobo, S. Strober, E. M. Tan, E. R. Unanue, W. 0. Weksler, C. B. Wilson, R. M. Zinkernagel, and many others. The chapters’ topics’are arranged in four sections: (I) immunoreactive cells, their products, and their regulation (perhaps the best part of the book); (II) immunologically related effector systems; (III) disease-specific immunopathologic processes; and (IV) immunologic diagnosis, prophylaxis, and therapy. In total, the book includes 35 chapters ranging in scope from the “Genetics of Immunoglobulin Production” to “Managing the Immune System with Total Lymphoid Irradiation” and covering in between most of what is believed to be important in our current perspective of immunology. To a reviewer usually bored by long, windy, and hyperbolic chapters and amazed by the lack of homogenity in multiauthorship ventures, this was a refreshing exercise that renewed his faith in the possibility of producing an excellent book by compiling chapters on topical issues by recognized authorities, and stressing this point once again is important in this age of mediocre, hastily compiled immunology publications. For once, a book can be recommended without reservation to all readers interested in immunology. One hopes not to have to wait another decade for another such pleasant surprise. G. VIRELLA Basic and Clinical Immunology and Microbiology Medical University of South Carolina Charleston, South Carolina 29425 392 0090-1229184 $1.50 Copyright 0 1984 by Academic Press, ~nc. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.
IMMUNOLOGY
AND
IMMUNOPATHOLOGY
32, 392 t 1984)
BOOK REVIEW The Biology FISHER.
of Immunologic
Sinauer Associates,
Disease. Edited by F. J. DIXON
Sunderland,
AND D. W.
1983. 399 pp~, $27.95.
One of the most widely read immunology books in the seventies was Good and Fisher’s Immunobiology, which made a deep and lasting impression on many young and veteran immunologists. Combining the expertise of the greatest immunologists of the time and the talents of a great team of scientific artists, the book became a must for those interested in clear, updated reviews and became the source of countless teaching slides. Sequels are supposed to never be as good as the original production, but 13 years later, opening its undeclared sequel was a most gratifying surprise. Using the same basic recipe of Immunobiology, Dixon and Fisher edited one of the most readable and entertaining reviews of modern immunology. The contributions, originally published in Hospital Practice, were updated to the general state of the art of about 1 year ago, and the editors carefully prevented the contributions from tangling the readers with cryptic&m or unnecessary technical details. This is one of the rare books that one wants to read cover to cover because of its clarity, the excellence of its illustrations, and its spectrum of interesting topics; it is, undoubtedly a deserving companion to its classic predecessor. The list of contributors to The Biology of the Immunologic Disease includes most of the great figures of American immunology, including K. F. Austen, B. Benacerraf, H. Cantor, F. J. Dixon, E. C. Franklin, II. Gewurz, R. A. Good, R. B. Herberman, K. Ishizaka, H. G. Kunkel, P. Leder, H. J. Mtiller-Eberhard, M. B. A. Oldstone, M. D. Scharff, J. D. Stobo, S. Strober, E. M. Tan, E. R. Unanue, W. 0. Weksler, C. B. Wilson, R. M. Zinkernagel, and many others. The chapters’ topics’are arranged in four sections: (I) immunoreactive cells, their products, and their regulation (perhaps the best part of the book); (II) immunologically related effector systems; (III) disease-specific immunopathologic processes; and (IV) immunologic diagnosis, prophylaxis, and therapy. In total, the book includes 35 chapters ranging in scope from the “Genetics of Immunoglobulin Production” to “Managing the Immune System with Total Lymphoid Irradiation” and covering in between most of what is believed to be important in our current perspective of immunology. To a reviewer usually bored by long, windy, and hyperbolic chapters and amazed by the lack of homogenity in multiauthorship ventures, this was a refreshing exercise that renewed his faith in the possibility of producing an excellent book by compiling chapters on topical issues by recognized authorities, and stressing this point once again is important in this age of mediocre, hastily compiled immunology publications. For once, a book can be recommended without reservation to all readers interested in immunology. One hopes not to have to wait another decade for another such pleasant surprise. G. VIRELLA Basic and Clinical Immunology and Microbiology Medical University of South Carolina Charleston, South Carolina 29425 392 0090-1229184 $1.50 Copyright 0 1984 by Academic Press, ~nc. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved.