Reviewed by Charles K. Jervis
Teacher
Immune system research makes frequent headlines; AIDS therapies, "super bugs," asthma, and controversies over new vaccines. The traditional high school level textbook may answer basic questions, but 101 Questions about Your Immune System provides a far better and more readable supplement. The author addresses issues raised by secondary students and provides information about the basic foundations of the immune system, its component parts, the natural processes involved in it, what goes awry when it malfunctions and, of course, how it interacts with foreign substances.
The information goes beyond the types of white blood cells, the nature of anaphylaxis, or the inflammation response found in most general texts. Easy-to-follow discussions focus on complement fixation, transspecies transplants, and the roles of memory cells. There is also good information on epidemiology and future research trends. The vocabulary, as one might expect, gets fairly technical at times. The casual reader would quickly bog down in the specifics of NK, CD4, or dendritic cells. However, these terms are clearly identified and explained. The author’s use of analogies, like that of a docking system for major histocompatibility complexes, helps the novice.
Although some of the book’s assertions could be argued (such as Hanta virus being unknown when the Four Corners outbreak occurred or even the fact that HIV "causes" AIDS), the comprehensive answers, summary tables, glossary, end notes, and organization contact information more than make up for any weaknesses. The end notes and bibliography provide copious resources for those who want even more information. 101 Questions about Your Immune System could provide a stimulus for detailed discussions and further research, and would be a valuable supplement to a high school course.
Review posted on 1/17/2001
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