Product Description

A straightforward introduction to Immunology which gives a concise, well explained approach for students with the aid of simple and useful diagrams. The second edition has been updated to underline the changes in this fast-moving field. 

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20663 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 328 pages

From the Back Cover

Understanding Immunology

Second Edition

Peter Wood

Understanding Immunology is a clear and concise introduction to a dynamic and crucial subject in molecular biology. At the book’s core is the desire to show exactly why the immune system is set up in the way that it is, and to demonstrate that the complex mechanisms used by the immune system to perform its tasks are far more efficient than any apparently ‘simpler’ alternatives.

This second edition is fully updated to cover the latest developments in this fast-paced field and includes new material on the anatomy of the lymphoid system, immune responses in vivo and an expanded section on tumour immunology.

Based on his extensive teaching experience, Peter Wood has provided an outstanding, accessible text suitable for students taking Introductory Immunology courses as a part of undergraduate Science or Medical programmes.

Features

• Carefully selected material provides a simple, clear introduction to the subject

• Learning objectives, boxed case-studies and chapter summaries aid student learning

• Covers topical areas such as autoimmunity, allergy and AIDS

• Clear, two-colour illustrations

• Up-to-date references on a linked website

Dr. Peter Wood is a lecturer in Immunology in the Faculty of Life Sciences at the Universityof Manchester. He has over 20 years of teaching experience in the UKand in the USA, and has published many papers in the area of Immunology.

Customer Reviews

Well structured but sloppy
This book was the recommended text for my Immunology module (a second year course to give an idea of its level). It pretty much mirrors my course, as far as I can tell, so if you're at Manchester University you will probably want to buy this book.

Each chapter is clearly structured and as a rule topics are well laid out. The diagrams and boxes contain useful additions to the text which helped me understand some of the more complicated sections. Sometimes the author appears to talk around a point however, evidence more thorough editing was perhaps necessary to make the book more concise.

Furthermore, I have serious issues with the grammar used. It frequently talks of 'antibody' and 'antigen' in a plural sense with singular grammar. Maybe Dr Wood is actually correct, I would not claim to be an authority; however it reads badly to me and made reading difficult in some sections - having to decipher the concepts could be difficult enough without having to decipher the text first.

I do not feel that I should condemn the book for the grammar alone, if you are taking an Immunology course you will probably need a text book, and I dare say this is as good as any out there. It might be an idea to try to pick up a copy on Amazon Market place or eBay though, the book is pretty expensive ",

4/5

Immunology You Can Understand
Immunology is a very complicated subject. I expect and hope that it will become easier to understand when more has been discovered about its details, so that simplifying principles can be learned. Meanwhile there are an awful lot of facts to fit together. This book, while containing enough detail to be useful, goes quite a way towards setting out a coherent explanation. The second edition, published in 2006, is well up-to-date, and has just over 300 pages and a good index. Recommended for those new or fairly new to the subject.

Mis-"Understading Immunology", A "Wood"-en Read
Terrible, outdated with huge gaps in the fundamentals of immunology! Chapter on T-Cell selection wrong (according to my lecturers and tutors) and contradictory to other textboks (eg. Janeway's Immunobiology). This is possibly due to it being based on outdated research. Purple colour, dominated diagrams add little to aesthetics and explaination, and layout is as patronizing minimal in style as it's content. Structurally, chapters do follow some sort of logical order. However, one still finds a topic that could have easily followed on from another, which has been separated instead by completely unrelated chapters. Definitely, do not buy - unless your examiner is particularly inclined to it, as may be the case in Manchester.