Clinical Aspects of Immunology

Until the first edition was published six years ago, standard texts had long been segregated into those devoted to microbial immunity ( traditional immunology) on the one hand and clinical allergy (hypersensitivity) on the other. Von Pirquet (1906) had previously anticipated the problems in defining the scope of immunology. He said, "Immunity and Supersensitivity can therefore be most closely interrelated. And yet these two terms contradict each other, their union is a forced one." But the union is forced only semantically; in operation, one needs to look only at the immunology of organ transplantation to realize that immunity and hypersensitivity no longer can be segregated.

The recent developments in immunology as it relates to human disease have come from investigators who often owe first allegiance to their own diverse traditional specialties. Clinical immunology, therefore, is still diffuse and fragmented. Hence, it was a formidable undertaking to prepare a single volume encompassing