The Immune System

by Peter Parham

Book Overview

The Immune System, Third Edition emphasizes the human immune system and synthesizes immunological concepts into a comprehensible, up-to-date, and reader-friendly account of how the immune system works. Written for undergraduate, medical, veterinary, dental, and pharmacy students in immunology courses, it makes generous use of medical examples to illustrate points. The Third Edition has been extensively revised and updated and includes two new chapters on innate and adaptive immunity, which explore the physical, cellular, and molecular principles underlying these responses to infection. It also features enhanced coverage of aspects of innate immunity such as the complement system, Toll-like receptors, defensins, and C-reactive protein; the role of dendritic cells in initiating the primary adaptive immune response and the functions of other cells that bridge innate and adaptive immunity; immunotherapies using humanized monoclonal antibodies to treat certain diseases; and the nature of the immune response in the mucosal tissues and immunological memory. The book offers over 500 full-color illustrations that complement and clarify the concepts. The end-of-chapter questions have been expanded and include essay, multiple-choice, and case study questions, with answers provided at the end of the book.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0815341466
• ISBN13: 9780815341468
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Garland Publishing
• Length: 506 Pages
• Weight: 2.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 8.3" x 10.8"

Customer Reviews

Excellent book! The diagrams are great!

I'm a second year medical student and I used this book for my first year immunology course. My school has a strong immunology course and the syllabus is almost able to stand on its own without a textbook. The important thing is - our syllabus uses the diagrams from Parham's book! Now that I am studying for boards, I am so happy that I can I look at these diagrams to make sense of complicated immune reactions that I barely remember. I was really happy I bought this book in addition to the syllabus b/c I just really don't have the mind for immunology. It's just not a subject that sticks with me, so I appreciated Parham's clear descriptions. If you like to really understand how immunobiology works, not just memorize things willy-nilly, I highly recommend this book. If you have a strong immuno course, you won't need to read the entire book, but it still comes in handy for the confusing stuff (eg: VDJ recombination, isotype switching, etc).

A good balance of text and figures

Pros: 1. Great for the hard core, molecular pathways of immunology. 2. Parham has a keen sense of proper diagram use. He seems to know when written text just won't do the job. 3. Has lots of clinical correlations, which is nice for med students. 4. Amazing photographs, appealing font and layout (secondary, but makes it pleasant to read). Cons: 1. A minimal amount of information varies from other texts. 2. It's expensive! 3. For a med student, it goes a little deeper than required. I held out buying the book for a while, due to what I felt was an exorbitant price. Once I finally bought it, I knew it was worth every penny. A book I'll refer to when studying for boards, after medical school and into my career.

I wish Peter Parham had written all my books, in all subjects

I am a medical student, and I have red and seen a lot of books. Guys, I couldn't believe how easy and fluent was the reading of this book. I must admit that i am not one of those guys that can sit down and finish the big Robbins in a few days, but with this book I have managed to do it !!! For me it was a first. Because P.Parham constantly reminds you of the stuff you read in the earlier chapters, and the exceptionally simple but good illustrations, you don't forget anything! I truly never seen such a thing. My enthusiasm may seem too exaggerated but I can't help it. 450 pages went like 50, and the book spares no details! Another great point is the questions and answers at the end of the chapters and at the end of the book, respectively. Med. Students, this book is for you, and 5 stars are not nearly enough.

Best immunology book!

This is the best immunology book out there for the aspiring medical student. Well written, easy read, concise. During the first years of medical school you need sources that deliver information in a quick, organized manner and this book delivers! Don't think about any other immunology textbook.

Fun to read textbook

I borrowed this book from a prof who was reviewing it for the next time he taught immunology. I used it to gear myself up for two presentations and papers in biochem and cell/molecular biology. Having no experience in immunology but a solid backgroudn in biochem and biology, I found it incredibly easy to read, yet has all the details and mechanisms necessary for one to read and understand research papers in immunology. The picture and graphics are fantastic. It is concise without skipping so much detail as to lose the reader. I wish all my textbooks were written this well. It ties in material from biochemisty and cell biology as well as genetics. It would be a wonderful text for an upper level undergraduate immunology course.