Product Description
We live in a sea of seething microbial predators, an infinity of invisible and invasive microorganisms capable of setting up shop inside us and sending us to an early grave. The only thing keeping them out? The immune system. 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. 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. Only those microbes our bodies need to help us digest food and process vitamins are admitted. 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 resulting in autoimmune disease. In Defense of Self covers everything from how antibodies work and the strategies the body uses to distinguish self from not self to the nature of immunological memory, the latest approaches to vaccination, and how the immune system will react should we ever be subjected to a bioterrorist attack. Clark also offers important insights on the vital role that the immune system plays in cancer, AIDS, autoimmunity, rheumatoid arthritis, allergies and asthma, and other diseases. 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.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 5.0 based on 3 reviews)

Excellent introduction for the general reader by Irfan A. Alvi (Towson, MD USA)

5 Stars
April 24, 2009
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 readers who are researching particular immunological disorders; for example, this book really only scratches the surface when it comes to things like allergies, autoimmune diseases, and cancer immunotherapy. Another effect of this book being intended for a general audience is that the presentation of information isn't quite as systematic as found in more advanced books, and I think that's a drawback for a subject as complex as this. But I do understand that books targeted at a general audience need to cater to the stylistic expectations of that audience if they're going to sell any copies ... Overall though, I'll reiterate that this book is an excellent introduction to immunology, so I recommend it to readers looking for such a book, and who understand its limitations.

Challenging AND Enlightening by D. S. Heersink (San Francisco)

5 Stars
March 11, 2009
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.

A Tremendous Book by CGD Dad (USA)

5 Stars
March 17, 2008
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 chapters and the paragraph on CGD. I now feel like I actually understand how and why CGD affected him in the way it did and what is happening with his donor marrow. This has allowed me to formulate questions that adequately convey my specific concerns and to better understand the responses and the daily results of his CBC counts. I strongly recommend this book to anyone wanting (or needing) to understand how the immune system works.

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