Anderson and Mackay's engaging survey is a studious examination of autoimmune diseases, and a humble admission that their cures remain stubbornly elusive. Publishers Weekly This is a fascinating read... A solid choice for academic science and health sciences collections. Library Journal ... This book packs in serious scholarship in both science and its history, adding hefty amounts of philosophy for ... Read moregood measure. Historical Records of Australian Science A magisterial, historically rich biography of autoimmunity... Anderson and Mackay reveal an expert understanding of how to use 'lived experience' to bring a biography of disease to life. Personal accounts demonstrate how, as theories about the causes of inexplicable chronic debilitating diseases abounded, the variety of treatments devised to alleviate or 'cure' them expanded.
Tilli Tansey Nature Succinct, well-written, and informed, Intolerant Bodies narrates the history of immunology through the lens of autoimmune disease... the story told here extends far beyond the topic of "attack against self" to provide perhaps the best overview of immunity (normal and pathological) available for the general reader. Metascience 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.
A. David Napier Somatosphere 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.
Sarah Linklater The Lancet Highly recommended for any collection strong in health history. California Bookwatch 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! In Focus 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. East Asian Science, Technology and Society 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. Social History of Medicine [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. Bulletin of the History of Medicine 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. Health and History Show Less