Intolerant Bodies

Few topics in contemporary science hold the wide interest commanded by immunology, so this graceful and timely account of the development of this science is a welcomed addition to the literature.

Intolerant Bodies is beautifully written—an informed, informative, and engaging assessment of the history of autoimmunity. But the small book is far more than the short history it humbly claims to be; for Anderson and Mackay take on a complex subject many of us have struggled to summarize with more words than fewer.

Anderson and MacKay reward any readers who have dedicated decades to researching a cure for type 1 diabetes, and other equally elusive autoimmune diseases, by illustrating just how far into other scholarly realms the concepts of autoimmunity have reached.

Highly recommended for any collection strong in health history.

Well researched, highly readable history of autoimmune disease... The reader will journey in company with the authors on their fascinating tour of autoimmune history, facts, and observations. And what a journey indeed!

Within a limited amount of pages, it tells the complicated but intriguing development of immunology and autoimmunity in a clear and consistent narrative that constantly crosses the boundaries between laboratories, hospitals, and patients’ lives.

The book’s concision, its fluid prose, its courageous (and largely successful) attempt to bring four chronic diseases into a coherent historical relationship, and its bold effort to come at immunology’s history from the margins all conspire to make Intolerant Bodies a valuable and unique contribution to the field.

[Anderson and Mackay's] work is refreshingly different from some recent best-selling histories of medicine written by scientists and clinicians, and the authors responsibly and soberly juxtapose the exciting science with the problematic clinical reality.

With clarity, depth, and subtle provocation, Intolerant Bodies covers significant historical, biomedical, and philosophical ground to investigate and explain the aetiological paradox of autoimmune disease...discussions at biomedical science conferences, immunology seminars, and research colloquia will be all the richer if this book is widely circulated.

Intolerant Bodies tells a fascinating, thought-provoking story about an important but insufficiently studied subject. Thoroughly researched, well-written, and innovative, the book—which is enriched with thoughts on the clinical aspects of autoimmune disease and patient testimonies—provides a clear and much-needed summary of the history of autoimmunity.

Intolerant Bodies is an extraordinary journey into the ideas behind today’s notion of autoimmunity. Who knew that we have returned to concepts that held sway before the age of bacteria? This is a riveting story, full of intriguing archival discoveries and original analytical insights, for anyone who loves the history of science and medicine.

Treatments have steadily improved, but autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis continue to diminish too many lives. This readable account by a physician medical writer and a physician pioneer in the field informs us about the history and nature of the chronic, debilitating autoimmune diseases.