In Defense of Self: How the Immune System Really Works in Managing Health and Disease
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.58 (989 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0195311264 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 272 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-07-19 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Clark explains how the immune system works by using powerful genetic, chemical, and cellular weapons to protect us from the vast majority of disease-causing microbes-bacteria, viruses, molds, and parasites. But this same system can endanger us by rejecting potentially life-saving organ transplants, or by overreacting and turning too much force against foreign invaders, causing serious-occasionally lethal-collateral damage to our tissues and organs. The only thing keeping them out? The immune system. Only those microbes our bodies need to help us digest food and process vitamins are admitted. Worse yet, our immune systems may react as if we ourselves are foreign and begin snipping away at otherwise healthy tissues, resulting in autoimmune disease. William Clark's In Defense of Self offers a refreshingly accessible tour of the immune system, putting in layman's terms essential information that has been for too long the exclusive province of trained specialists. Of special interest to all those suffering from diseases related to the immune system, as well as their families, In Defense of Self lucidly explains a system none of us could live without.. We
Dr. He is the author of At War Within (OUP 1995), Sex and the Origins of Death (OUP 1996), Are We Hardwired? (OUP2000) and many other books. He lives in Los Angeles.. William Clark is Professor and Chair Emeritus of Immunology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is an internationally reco
Camber said Excellent introduction for the general reader. This book serves as an excellent introduction to immunology for the general reader.The level of detail is introductory but not trivial, and immunology is inherently a challenging subject, so readers should expect to pay attention and concentrate. This book isn't casual reading, and some general science background would be a big help.At the same time, the level of detail is much less than a book intended for health care professionals or students, so people in that category will need to go beyond this book, although they may still find this book to be a nice and comparatively gentle introduction. The same applies to general. A Tremendous Book CGD Dad My last biology class was in 9th grade and thus my understanding of cells, the blood system and the immune system in general has been very cursory. To be perfectly honest I've never been interested in biology at all but my son's condition (has chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) and is currently at day +4 in a bone marrow transplant) has caused me to revisit this topic. Unfortunately I've been confounded in finding a good overview of the immune system that is both intelligible to a lay person but which gets at the fundamental mechanisms. This book was nothing short of a revelation to me; particularly the first four chapte. Challenging AND Enlightening The human immune system is -- literally -- a four-year college course. This splendid highlight of the principles of our immune system is a challenging read for the non-scientist, but informative and enlightening every page of the way. Scientists may find the overview a helpful overview, and neophytes may find the subject difficult at times, but we owe science -- and AIDS -- a depth of gratitude that helps explain how the "see-saw" of microbe and host fight each other to the death -- again, literally.
William Clark is Professor and Chair Emeritus of Immunology at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is an internationally recognized authority on the killer T lymphocytes involved in organ transplant rejection and in viral immunity. He lives in Los Angeles.. He is the author of At War Within (OUP 1995), Sex and the Origins of Death (OUP 1996), Are We Hardwired? (OUP2000) and many other books. About the AuthorDr