Customer Reviews

A Commotion in the Blood: Life, Death, and the Immune System (Sloan Technology)

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I read this book a while ago but now I recalled that I should write my impressions as this is one of the best books about general science I ever read.

I am a scientist (Ph.D.), I work in biomedical research and I know from first hand how biomedicine research is done in Academia and in Industry. This book is an outstanding description for the general public (anyone will understand it, even if you don't know anything about science) of a part of Cancer Research (from the beginning of the century to present); the application of Immunology to treat cancer ending in recent attemps of using gene therapy.

The book is extremely well researched and very well written and therefore I believe that anyone interested in understanding why it is important to do "basic" research should read it.

Importantly the book also explains the happenings "behind the scenes"; the book talks about the human beings that do research. Researchers are human beings, with strong egotistic attitudes, and "scientific credit" is not always given to the ones that deserve it, the "researchers that do the actual work" the postdoctoral fellows. Examples are given in the book.

Many "notable" and "famous" scientist have constructed their career with good research but also with despotic attitudes, envy, and fratricide fights with other scientists. Scientific research is extremely competitive and therefore effective and this situation gives little margin for "good human values". Most times the driving force in biomedical science is not to cure people but to gain credit, power and reputation. Of course success benefits all of us.

I strongly recommend this book.

This is well-written and generally solid, but has a couple of flaws. The biggest is that the author seems to have been taken in by some researchersd who most likely were sources. The result: the book gives far too much credence to the work of an early 20th century doctor named Coley, whose family has funded research since and has campaigned for credit. Coley's work, while creative and provocative-- for which he deserves credit-- was not good science, and the book made it sound as if it was true. This troubled me throughout my reading. The writer also seems to take some pretty hard (and unfair) shots at a prominent current researcher, Steve Rosenberg. Again, the author was most likely listening too closely to a couple of sources. Rosenberg is far more likely to win a Nobel Prize than to fade into nothingness, as the author implies. He was the first person to stimulate the immune system to cure certain cancers. Nonetheless, this is a first-rate book, and if I didn't know anything about the subject (which I do) I would have enjoyed it even more than I did even including the flaws.

It's a shame this great book is out of print.

It's not easy going for the layperson although it is certainly more accessible than a great deal of medical information. But it IS fascinating.

Early strategies of dealing with cancer by manipulating the immune system which were discovered and championed by Dr. Coley (with surprising success since even he wasn't sure exactly how they worked) were abandoned and forgotten when the new "radiation" model found more powerful supporters in the medical community, like Dr. Coley's boss, Dr. Ewing.

Years later we see a terrific toll in human suffering exacted by radiation and chemotherapy. Current stem cell research and other immunological researches all "stem" from Coley's early experiments. Hall writes about the scientists, operating alone or in teams, who have made huge strides in the world of immune system research and therapy protocols, many of which the average person has never heard about.

I learned an enormous amount about how the body works and about how the immune system develops. Yes, this information is very detailed and not always easy to grasp, but Hall does a terrific job in trying to make it understandable to the non-medical reader. So many times we laypeople are flummoxed by jargon.

Hall details what scientists have been doing in the world of immune research. Some familiar names pop up like Dr. Gallo and others prominent in AIDS research. And Hall does a great job in writing about the personalities, the conflicts and the politics of the medical world--it's not all science, which is daunting enough to us!

I can't speak highly enough of this book. I really know a lot more about how the body works after reading it and I'm encouraged for the future, if only the public will get behind supporting these brilliant and innovative thinkers.

I had cancer which is one of the things that interested me in this book. As challenging as the book is, I could NOT put it down. It makes for interesting speculation about how our world would have developed if cancer protocols had gone in a different direction.

I thoroughly enjoyed Hall's account of the development of immunotherapy. I read it cover to cover. You need not be an immunologist to enjoy this book, but you might want to become one after.

Hall tackled a complex subject, poised after many years of failure to play a major role in cancer treatment. He details the rich history and scientific struggle that lies at the heart of the current clinical trials using vaccines to treat cancer. A great read for scientists, physicians and the general public. Robert Bazell, Chief Science Correspondent NBC News

This is an engaging read! An excellent introduction for the reader curious about the history of cancer biology/immunology especially from the standpoint of clinical therapies. It also provides a glimpse of the inside workings of research institutes and scientific collaborations. The only reservation I have is that the prose tends to the purple but that is not too great a distraction from the skillful storytelling. Read it!

Would be easier to read, of course, with basic knowledge of immunology, but I can totally see it being understood without it.

A must for a medical student.

Amazing story about an accidentally discovered way to actually battle the scary "C" (cancer) at the end of 19th, beginning of the 20th century, which never got thoroughly investigated.

Goes to show that unfortunately in medicine, like in many other profession, politics, pride and competition may be placed above the common good.

Is a big book, so don't expect to finish it fast, but even at a slower pace you will enjoy the story and the writing. I bet it will have a few surprises for you too.

I can't believe that I got this book for as cheap as I did - hardcover, good condition, almost 500 pages. For $3 and some change it is a steal (yes, I chose "used" - was in PERFECT condition when arrived)

Stephen Hall does a marvelous job of giving an entertaining and understandable history of discoveries regarding the immune system and its role in cancer. Going well beyond the science, he introduces the men and women who forged through ridicule and adversity in a way that makes you know them as real people. I love this book! Hall is a great wordsmith. Look up Arthur Schopenhauer, you'll see his axioms of ridicule, adversity, and acceptance in the history presented. If you have cancer buy this book! It may change your life.
Richard R. Mason MS, DO, NMD

This book was used in an immunology class I took and it was a great asset to the information presented in the class. It is easy reading and full of interesting biographical tid-bits of the people that forwarded the area of immunology. The only draw back is if you are the kind of learner that needs diagrams and textbook-like explanations you won't find them in this text. It is set in a novel like format.

This four-part book tells of cancer immunotherapy with: (1) Coley's toxins around the turn of the century; (2) interferon after its discovery in 1957: (3) T cell growth factor (interleukin-2) after its cloning in 1983; and (4) tumor vaccines in the 1990's. There is more detail than you think you want to know; but after getting into the book, you don't want it to end. Readers looking for additional insights might consider "Biotechnology Backstage" from Kabel Publishers, which covers the rise and fall of Cetus Corporation (a story Steve Hall does not tell but says is worth telling) and the dawn of gene therapy (which spun off the use of interleukin-2 to grow tumor infiltrating lymphocytes at the National Cancer Institute).