The scientific history of the discoveries in immunology of the past 60-years in a book – Molecular Immunity: A Chronology of 60 Years of Discovery by Kendall A. Smith

This book is a good reference point for the undergraduates, graduate students, academicians in medicine (immunology) and life sciences (molecular biology, genetics).

The book aims to simplify the complexity associated with immunology. It will serve a useful resource for the present and upcoming curious minds who are intrigued by the science of immunology and who decide to take up careers in this branch of medicine and biology.

According to British Science for Immunology, Immunology is the study of the immune system and is an important branch of the medical and biological sciences. The study is vital as the immune system protects against infection through numerous lines of defence.

Immunology has seen multiple scientific breakthroughs and the study has evolved ever since. The 18th C saw the brilliant work of Edward Jenner, which led to an innovation called vaccination. The late 19th C was introduced with Louis Pasteur’s reports. However, Pasteur’s work lacked data in his reports. With time, the 20th C saw a format, which is relevant in the present time. Despite the above, the 20th C too lacked clarity and made deciphering an extremely challenging task. Furthermore, the use of statistical evaluations was minimal. Fast-forward to today, it has been observed that the complexity of compounding the scientific literation is an arduous and difficult task.

In addition to the above, the books on the history of immunology ended around the 1970s. One can observe that very rarely the rigorous chronologies are undertaken, especially dealing with who the investigators were, how the experiments were accomplished, and the significance of certain experimental results.

Accordingly, Smith decided to address the concerns and write a book, which throws light on the progress immunology has made since the last 60 years. The book stresses on who made the advances and how they achieved the result, and why some individuals failed to produce the desired outcomes. The chapters of the book range from twenty years of cellular discovery, The Interleukins, The Beginnings of Molecular Immunology to the molecular mechanisms of T Cell Cytolysis, “Help” and Immunotherapy to name a few. According to Oppenheim, National Cancer Institute, USA, “The book undoubtedly will be a rich source of historical information concerning the critical hypotheses and experimental discoveries over the past discovery that are now beginning to lead to successful immunotherapy of diverse conditions ranging from autoimmunity”.

Smith’s book will be a ground-breaking read because immunological research continues to make advances in immunotherapy, autoimmune diseases, and in the development of vaccines for emerging pathogens, such as Ebola. It is crucial that some headway is made to understand basic immunology to facilitate unconventional diagnostics and new methods of treatment to cure a wide array of diseases.