The War Within Us
Everyman's Guide to Infection and Immunity
Published on 19. June 2000
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-0-12-498251-2 (ISBN)
Description
Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. In The War Within Us, well-known author and infectious disease specialist Cedric Mims makes the intricacies of the immune system and infectious diseases less baffling for the general reader and answers the questions of how things work and why. The story is told in terms of the ancient conflict between the invader (the infectious disease) and the defender (the body's immune system) and the strategies and counter-strategies used by both sides, making it a book that is both informative and interesting to read. The War Within Us is an ideal introduction to the basics of immunity and infection for general readers and students. It also serves as a quick reference book for physicians, researchers, and other health workers.
Reviews / Votes
"a thorough explanation of the human immune system... The author accomplishes his goal of guiding the reader through the intricacies of the immune system, and does so in a unique and entertaining style." :--Jane S. Roccaforte, M.D., DOODY'S HEALTH SCIENCES BOOK REVIEW JOURNALMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
San Diego
United States
Publishing group
Elsevier Science Publishing Co Inc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Microbiologists, immunologists, infectious disease researchers and clinicians, at undergraduate, postgraduate, and research level, and all those with an interest in the life sciences.
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
550 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-12-498251-2 (9780124982512)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Cedric Mims began as a zoologist, studying under GP Wells and JBS Haldane at University College, London. He then went to the Middlesex Hospital Medical School, London, graduating in 1952. After hospital appointments he spent three years in Uganda studying tropical fevers, and then 16 years in Canberra, Australia, interspersed with two years in the USA. This was followed by a 20-year period in London as Professor of Microbiology at Guy's Hospital Medical School, where his enthusiasm for teaching found its outlet. His entire career has focused on infectious diseases and immunology, and he has produced five books and more than a hundred scientific papers on these subjects. He has four children and nine grandchildren and lives in the Sussex countryside.
Content
The Parasite Versus the Host:How We Defend Ourselves:Surfaces Barriers and the Early Defences.Immune Defences.Chinks in the Armour: Things That Go Wrong With Our Defences.The Microbe's Response to Our Defence:Breaching the Early Defences.How to Evade Immune Defences.The Disease:From Residents to Big Killers.How Microbes Cause Disease.Thumbnail Sketches of Seven Selected Diseases.What the Future Holds:The Threat of New Diseases.Our Answers to Infectious Diseases.Selected Reading.GlossaryIndex.