Customer Reviews

Immunology at a Glance, Seventh Edition

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is complex stuff, and I don't think it could be made any more simple and clear than it is in this book. "At a Glance" does *not* mean that you'll be able to start with zero knowledge of immunology and come away an expert after glancing at this book. It means that it's all here and that each topic is fully covered in the space of two pages. Hence, by just glancing down at the open book you will see an entire survey of, say, "Acute inflammation". There are 41 such topics in all, grouped into several categories: natural immunity, adaptive immunity, potentially useful immunity, undesirable effects of immunity, and altered immunity.

The drawings are, as the author hints in the Preface, worth a million words or so (apiece). Because any given immune activity involves so many different cells, parts of cells, or molecules, the topic is far better understood through sketches of how the parts interact than through words alone. The sketches here are EXCELLENT -- clear, complete, well labeled... In short, just what any student wants. The material is right there in front of you for the pondering.

Each sketch is accompanied by a few paragraphs of text and a list of terms defined.

Here is what the author states in a section titled "How to use this book":

"Each of the figures... represents a particular topic, corresponding roughly to a 45-minute lecture. Newcomers to the subject may like first to read through the text (left-hand pages) using the figures only as a guide.... Once the general outline has been grasped, it is probably better to concentrate on the figures one at a time" (p.7).

A list of relevant textbooks, which provided some source material for this book, is provided.

Very highly recommended.

I never learned any immunology; never took a course in it, or read the textbook, just picked up what I picked up by reading peripheral journal articles. If you are like me, then buy this short book and read it cover to cover and study the pictures and you'll be amazed how much of your scattered knowledge of immunology will get pulled together. You won't want to admit to yourself how fuzzy your grasp of lots of things about the immune system is/was.

I enjoyed "Metabolism at a glance" immensely. So, I purchased this thinking it'd help me as well. This is a very poor book. For an example, for the complement system the index states that page 7 has information on this topic. However, page 7 is titled "How to use this book". Of the 4 times I've tried to use the index I was directed to a page that had nothing to do with what I was looking for. Each topic is devoted 2 pages, left and right of the open book form. The right page simply has definitions related to the topic. Left page has an illustration for the topic. But, I have yet to find clear explanation for any of the topic I wanted to learn. The cartoon illustrations are a bit too complicated and this confusion is compounded by the text saying things like "note the central role of such and such.....in the illustration" when the illustration is a bit too complex with too many arrows. I'd not buy this book.

diagrams are so unique that we may not catch the meaning at first. but they are very nice & well intergrated. SO impressive!
but discreted explanation is the one of draw backs. if a reader has some immunolgical back ground, this book will be good to catch complexed immune network. But no recomendation for preparing USMLE or board.