The War Within Us: Everyman's Guide to Infection and Immunity
Regular price
29.180 KD
inc. VAT
Couldn't load pickup availability
Table of contents
- Cover
- CONTENTSiii
- Prefacevii
- Introductionviii
- PART 1: THE PARASITE VERSUS THE HOST1
- Chapter 1. The parasite versus the host3
- Parasitism as a way of life3
- But parasites have problems11
- Problems for the host17
- A rogue's gallery of microbial parasites of humans19
- PART 2: HOW WE DEFEND OURSELVES23
- Chapter 2. Surfaces barriers and the early defences25
- Body surfaces25
- Inflammation – it feels bad but is a wonderful device30
- The phagocytes, essential weapons in the early defences33
- Chemical weapons; interferons and other substances in early defence40
- Chapter 3. Immune defences43
- A royal experiment and the beginnings of immunology43
- The immune system45
- Chapter 4. Chinks in the armour; things that go wrong with our defences71
- Faulty surface defences72
- Faulty phagocytes74
- Faulty immune response75
- Can drugs stimulate the immune system?77
- The brain speaks to the immune system; what happens during stress78
- Our defences are affected by age80
- The sexual perspective on host defence83
- The impact of host genes on defence84
- Nutrition and host defence85
- The puzzle of pollutants and host defence89
- PART 3: THE MICROBE'S RESPONSE TO OUR DEFENCE91
- Chapter 5. Breaching the early defences93
- A microbe with good answers93
- Special devices for attaching to the body and entering it97
- Doing damage to the surface defences99
- Coping with the physical environment100
- Getting enough food100
- Coping with interferons and complement100
- Outmanoeuvring the phagocyte102
- Chapter 6. How to evade immune defences109
- A dozen devious devices112
- Arranging for exit129
- PART 4: THE DISEASE133
- Chapter 7. From residents to big killers135
- Unexpected intruders round the eyes135
- The residents136
- How diseases are named145
- Signs and symptoms146
- The big killers148
- Big killers from long ago153
- Chapter 8. How microbes cause disease157
- Most microbes don't157
- The microbe releases a toxin160
- The microbe on its own does the damage166
- The host injures itself167
- The microbe causes cancer as a late effect176
- The microbe stays forever180
- Microbes as possible culprits, etc186
- Chapter 9. Thumbnail sketches of seven selected diseases191
- Syphilis and civilization191
- Measles and its invasion plan196
- Typhoid; a trail of illness from a slippery cook199
- Prion diseases; the mystery and the menace202
- The common cold gets commoner206
- Malaria triumphant209
- Legionnaires' disease; a fresh-water bacterium leaps at the opportunity212
- PART 5: WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS213
- Chapter 10. The threat of new diseases215
- Old diseases remain as a threat219
- What Does it takes to eradicate a microbe, once and for all?220
- Where would new diseases come from?221
- Chapter 11. Our answers to infectious diseases231
- Hygiene232
- Antimicrobial drugs237
- Vaccines239
- Natural therapy246
- Thoughts on the very distant future249
- Selected reading251
- Glossary253
- Index271
Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. In The War Within Us, well-known author and infectious disease specialist Cedric Mims makes the intricacies of the immune system and infectious diseases less baffling for the general reader and answers the questions of how things work and why. The story is told in terms of the ancient conflict between the invader (the infectious disease) and the defender (the body's immune system) and the strategies and counter-strategies used by both sides, making it a book that is both informative and interesting to read.
The War Within Us is an ideal introduction to the basics of immunity and infection for general readers and students. It also serves as a quick reference book for physicians, researchers, and other health workers.
Key Features:
* Parasite versus host
* The conflict: how we defend ourselves
* The microbe's response to our defence
* How microbes cause disease
* Thumbnail sketches of seven selected diseases:
* The threat of new diseases
The War Within Us is an ideal introduction to the basics of immunity and infection for general readers and students. It also serves as a quick reference book for physicians, researchers, and other health workers.
Key Features:
* Parasite versus host
* The conflict: how we defend ourselves
* The microbe's response to our defence
* How microbes cause disease
* Thumbnail sketches of seven selected diseases:
* The threat of new diseases