Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
How the Immune System Works (How It Works) (2nd Edition)
 
 
Share your own customer images
Search inside this book
Tell the Publisher!
I’d like to read this book on Kindle

Don’t have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here.
 
  

How the Immune System Works (How It Works) (2nd Edition) (Paperback)

~ Lauren M. Sompayrac (Author) "Immunology is a difficult subject to study for several reasons..." (more)
Key Phrases: battle cytokines, innate system team, incoming lymphatics, Mother Nature, Total Th Cells Virus-Specific (more...)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


19 used from $8.91

Also Available in:

 List Price: Our Price: Other Offers:
Paperback (3) $36.95 $30.45 50 used & new from $24.99
There is a newer edition of this item:
How the Immune System Works (Blackwell's How It Works) How the Immune System Works (Blackwell's How It Works) 4.8 out of 5 stars (44)
$30.45
In Stock.
What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?
How the Immune System Works (How It Works) (2nd Edition)
94% buy the item featured on this page:
How the Immune System Works (How It Works) (2nd Edition) 4.8 out of 5 stars (44)
IMMUNOBIOLOGY 7 PB (Janeway's Immunobiology) (Immunobiology: The Immune System (Janeway))
2% buy
IMMUNOBIOLOGY 7 PB (Janeway's Immunobiology) (Immunobiology: The Immune System (Janeway)) 4.4 out of 5 stars (13)
$86.62
Rapid Review Pathology: With STUDENT CONSULT Online Access
2% buy
Rapid Review Pathology: With STUDENT CONSULT Online Access 4.7 out of 5 stars (69)
$40.45
Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple (Medmaster)
1% buy
Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple (Medmaster) 4.6 out of 5 stars (141)
$28.01
Explore similar items

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

How Pathogenic Viruses Work

How Pathogenic Viruses Work

by Lauren Sompayrac
5.0 out of 5 stars (7)  $26.91
How Cancer Works

How Cancer Works

by Lauren Sompayrac
4.1 out of 5 stars (7)  $17.84
Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple (Medmaster)

Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple (Medmaster)

by Mark Gladwin
4.6 out of 5 stars (141)  $28.01
In Defense of Self: How the Immune System Really Works

In Defense of Self: How the Immune System Really Works

by William R. Clark
5.0 out of 5 stars (3)  $12.21
How the Endocrine System Works

How the Endocrine System Works

by J. Matthew Neal MD FACP FACE
4.0 out of 5 stars (1)  $33.25
› Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise from the previous edition:

"This is the book that every student (regardless of level) should read as he or she begins to study immunology."
-- Daniel G. Tenen, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School Member, Harvard Medical School Program in Immunology

On the first edition:

"...it covers each section of the immune system in the form of 'lectures' in which the author talks to you from the book as though he were in the same room.

A MUST-BUY for anyone having problems understanding the immune system (and, lets face it, who doesn't)?"

Barts and the London Chronicle

"...this brief overview of immunology is superb."

Guy's Gazette, Guy's Hospital, Medical & Dental Schools


"I feel that Dr Sompayrac has contributed a worthy book which I personally have enjoyed reading, and I feel it will serve as an ideal introduction to the principles of immunology for students of either a medical or scientific background."

Southampton Health Journal

"...makes a difficult subject like immunology much easier to understand. A fantastic introduction to basic immunology."

2nd Opinion, The Magazine of the Scottish Medical Schools



Product Description

Not just another immunology book, Blackwell now offers the 2nd edition of How the Immune System Works. Written in the same offbeat, "lecture-style" you're familiar with, the second edition provides a perfect introduction to the essential principles of the immune system, covered in 9 humorous but highly informative "lectures." Perfect as exam-prep review or an enjoyable overview of a difficult subject. This revised edition features:
· New updates on the Pathophysiology of immunology
· System-based approach that examines immunology as a system
· Unique and engaging style for quick and easy learning
See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Paperback: 144 pages
  • Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (December 20, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 063204702X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0632047024
  • Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #100,810 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

    #35 in  Books > Science > Medicine > Basic Science > Immunology
    #36 in  Books > Professional & Technical > Medical > Basic Sciences > Immunology

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

More About the Author

Lauren Sompayrac
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

› Visit Amazon's Lauren Sompayrac Page
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
Immunology is a difficult subject to study for several reasons. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
battle cytokines, innate system team, incoming lymphatics, matching gene segments, immune system team, abundant self antigens, immunologists call, thymic dendritic cells, activated dendritic cells, opsonized antigen, high endothelial cells, cognate antigen, been opsonized, secondary lymphoid organs, follicular dendritic cells, other immune system cells, recognize self antigens, adaptive immune system, dating bars, antigen binding region, somatic hypermutation, cell tolerance, professional phagocytes, innate immune system, high endothelial venules
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Mother Nature, Total Th Cells Virus-Specific
New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 6 books:
See all 6 books this book cites
 
12 books cite this book:
See all 12 books citing this book

Books on Related Topics (learn more)
 
 

Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(6)
(3)
(3)
(2)
(2)
(1)
(1)
See all 10 tags...

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more
 

Customer Reviews

44 Reviews
5 star:
 (35)
4 star:
 (8)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (44 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
72 of 74 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to read and learn with., May 28, 2000
By toothygrin "toothygrin" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: How the Immune System Works (Paperback)
I am a Board Certified Allergist/Immunologist and I bought the book to help me to solidify my knowledge of basic immunology.

Since the American Board of Allergy and Immunology only issues 10-year certification --and I took the exam the first time in 1991 -- I have to take a multiple choice recert exam soon. The book is helping me prepare by reviewing current basic Immunology in a very easy to understand (and therefore easy to REMEMBER) fashion.

The prose is not prosaic, it's fun! The writing describes the immune system's structure and functioning clearly and logically. It does an excellent job of tying everything together, which can be difficult with the expanding "octopus" of detail that comprises modern immunology.

I highly recommend this for physicians and students of medicine or immunology.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic; the perfect exposition of basic immunology, May 12, 2002
By Garth Snyder (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: How the Immune System Works (Paperback)
After slogging through Janeway's _Immunobiology_ and most of a course in immunology, I had memorized a lot of facts but still understood next to nothing about the overall "design" and operation of the immune system. I found _How the Immune System Works_ the perfect antidote to my existential ennui. I recommend it highly and wish there were similar books on other related subjects.

The main pleasure of this book is that it's very "why-oriented" - Sompayrac explains how each mechanism fits into the grand scheme of immunology. Another key innovation is that he points out areas of immunology that aren't well understood yet; that way, you can recognize them as gaps in the science at large rather than as gaps in your own understanding.

Other virtues include brevity, judicious omission of irrelevant detail (this book omits the customary table of 30-odd cytokines along with a list of the 10 or 15 actions of each, for example), and an engaging and readable style.

2006 UPDATE (ORIGINAL REVIEW WAS MAY, 2002): I'm so glad to see this book continuing to get great reviews. Having completed the rest of medical school, I can now say that this is the single highest-value text I encountered on any medical subject.
Comment Comment (1) | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Keeping It As Simple As Possible, August 21, 2001
By James R. Mccall (Libertyville, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: How the Immune System Works (Paperback)
The immune system is distributed throughout the body, but can still usefully be viewed as singular. The body is always under threat from tiny invaders, and it is only the various parts of our immune system, working together, that makes it possible for us to repel them. Without it, we would be dead very quickly.

This book gives a good overview of the immune system, with enough detail to understand how the various cells and tissues do what they do. How does the system recognize invaders? How does it recognize self, and leave self alone? Why is foreign tissue rejected? How can the system go wrong? What is the role of the Major Histocompatibility Complex? How do we get immunity? The mechanisms cells use are molecularprotein, mostlyand the immune system is all about protein switches, detectors, and processors. The above questions and others are answered by invoking the protein mechanisms, and explaining how the cells of the immune system can do the magic that they do in recognizing and responding appropriately to the millions of different possible invaders, and why some parts of the system take longer than others to swing into action.

The only background you really need for this book is an intelligent laymans interest in science. You should know what proteins are (chains of amino acids), more-or-less how DNA and RNA work, and the ability to follow a technical discussion. The book was written for medical students, but knowledge of anatomy and physiology is not put to use here. The discussion is chatty, informal, and repetitive. Each of the first several chapters ends in a summary diagram of the system interactions that have been discussed up to that point, and each next chapter begins by giving an extensive review of the previous one.

In spite of this, the exposition is confusing. The author is doing what he can, but the immune system is inherently difficult to follow. It consists of many sloppy loops that interact with each other in approximate and varying ways. Moreover, certain important interactions are still not understood very well (as the author emphasizes), so there is some fuzziness in the picture. But the last two chapters, on auto-immune diseases and cancer, use what went before, and give the reader some perspective on the general mechanisms.

This is a satisfying book, and a real service. It is bringing together knowledge that otherwise would be scattered in research papers, or buried in technical books, and making it accessible. The level is low enough to explain the mechanisms, but leaves out much messiness that clinicians would probably need. No one would feel when they had finished only this book that they could treat an immune system disorder, but they would at least feel that they could comprehend it.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book
I am a nurse practitioner and I work every day in a clinic with patients who have HIV. Having worked in infectious diseases for 11 years, I had a desire to teach classes on HIV,... Read more
Published 22 days ago by Mary E. Monastesse

4.0 out of 5 stars Great intro book
This book saved me (and my grade). I was thrown into an immunology course where tiny details were given from day one, and I had no immunology background - this book gave me what I... Read more
Published 28 days ago by Immuno Basics

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice overview for the immunology newb or someone needing a refresher
Sompayrac's "How the Immune System Works" is a great Cliff Notes-style guide to immunology. He manages to cover almost all major components of the immune system in this little,... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Brittany Sears

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK
This book is AWESOME! It is extremely easy to read and explains everything in the easiest terms! I am a first year med student and did not have a good background in Immunology... Read more
Published 3 months ago by P. Olszewska

5.0 out of 5 stars Complicated topic made simple!!!
I was tired of looking things up in my cell bio textbook and on wikipedia, so I bought this and am very pleasantly surprised! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Jill Simpson

4.0 out of 5 stars how to explain the immune system to a 3rd grader
This book is basically taking the immune system and explaining it to a third grader. Some of the language seems quite over-simplified. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Bama

4.0 out of 5 stars review
I really like this book because I find it to be rather technical and thourough but quick about it. So if you want a little (but tall) book to give you all the details of how the... Read more
Published 8 months ago by S. Hourani

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful primer
This text provides a wonderful overview to immunology principles, and serves as a great introduction to the material. Read more
Published 9 months ago by southernbelle

4.0 out of 5 stars Can save your life... or your grade.
I ordered this book for FAST shipping 4 days before my first medical school final exam. What I was most impressed with is the great overview that let me place all my specific... Read more
Published 13 months ago by R. Christensen

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book
I got this book for a graduate class I am taking in immunology; although, I didn't really need it, it was helpful.
Published 13 months ago by J. Woodle

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums

Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)

Look for Similar Items by Category

Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:















i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...
 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.



Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.