552 pages

Copyright 2009

Hardcover, Reference

Academic Press Title

ISBN: 9780123705860

Description

Written by an immunologist, this book traces the concept of immunity from ancient times up to the present day, examining how changing concepts and technologies have affected the course of the science. It shows how the personalities of scientists and even political and social factors influenced both theory and practice in the field. With fascinating stories of scientific disputes and shifting scientific trends, each chapter examines an important facet of this discipline that has been so central to the development of modern biomedicine. With its biographical dictionary of important scientists and its lists of significant discoveries and books, this volume will provide the most complete historical reference in the field.

Contents

List of Photos
Foreword: On History and Historians
Preface to the Second Edition
Preface to the First Edition
PART ONE: INTELLECTUAL HISTORY
1. Theories of Acquired Immunity
2. Cellular vs. Humoral Immunity
3. Theories of Antibody Formation
4. The Generation of Diversity: The Germline/Somatic Mutation Debate
5. The Clonal Selection Theory Challenged: The Immunological Self
6. The Concept of Immunologic Specificity
7. Specificity Continued
8. Horror Autotoxicus: The Concept of Autoimmunity
9. Allergy and Immunopathology: The ";Price"; of Immunity
10. Anti-Antibodies and Anti-Idiotypic Immunoregulation: 1899-1904
11. Transplantation and Immunogenetics
PART TWO: SOCIAL HISTORY
12. Magic Bullets and Poisoned Arrows: The Uses of Antibodies
13. The Royal Experiment: 1721-22
14. The Languages of Immunologic Dispute
15. The Search for Cell-Bound Antibodies. On the Influence of Dogma
16. Natural' Antibodies and 'Virgin' Lymphocytes: The Importance of Context
17. The Dynamics of Conceptual Change in Immunology
18. Immunology in Transition 1951-1972: The Role of International Meetings and Discipline Leaders
19. The Origin of Subdisciplines: (Ocular Immunology; Pediatric Immunology; Immunophysiology)
20. Immune Hemolysis: On the Heuristic Value of an Experimental System
21. Darwinism and Immunology: from Metchnikoff to Burnet
22. The End of Immunology?
Appendix A1. The Calendar of Immunologic Progress
Appendix A2. Seminal Discoveries
Appendix A3. Important Books in Immunology, 1892 – 1968
Appendix B. Nobel Prize Highlights in Immunology
Appendix C. Biographical Dictionary

Author Information

By Arthur M. Silverstein, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA