On the Shoulders of Giants

molecular lesions. In his account of the description of Bruton's agammaglobulinemia and DiGeorge syndrome, Dr Clark provides a counterbalance in the clear clinical and scientific thinking which led to their description. The book is not all history however, and we are brought immediately up-to-date with the progress in gene therapy for ADA-SCID and the therapeutic prospects for the future. The chapter on organ transplantation explores not only the immunology but also the ethics of organ transplantation, along with fascinating accounts of the pioneering operations which were performed. There is up-to-date information on the use of transgenic animals as sources of donor organs. The final chapter is entitled 'Minding the Immune System's Business: The Dialogue Between the Brain and the Immune System' and this addresses the ever expanding area of psychoneuroimmunology. In particular Dr Clark explores the immunological effects of the neuro-endocrine system and the effects on the nervous system of a number of cytokines. This book is targeted at a mass audience and is successful in taking the reader from very basic concepts to some of the more complex issues within immunology. The title should prepare potential readers for the liberal use of military symbolism. When the introductory paragraph states that our immune systems are 'finely tuned, highly integrated defence complexes that relentlessly track, identify and destroy a wide range of would-be body crashers', it is clear that this expectation will not be disappointed. However, the anecdotal style makes this book easily digestible and undoubtedly it will provide pleasant leisure reading for both medical and non-medical audience alike. Drugs affecting lipid metabolism. Risk factors and future directions. In the last three years the management of hyperlipidaemia has been revolutionised by the publication of large studies demonstrating that cardiovascular morbidity and total mortality can be reduced by decreasing serum cholesterol. At the same time, our understanding of the events in the arterial wall which lead to the development of atherosclerosis has greatly improved, with particular emphasis on the importance of lipoprotein oxidation as a key event in early atherogenesis. With such a large amount of information continually appearing, it can be difficult to assimilate both scientific and clinical advances, and it is therefore potentially useful to have both summarised in a single text. This book is the proceedings of the XII International Symposium on Drugs Affecting Lipid Metabolism, which was held in Houston in November 1995. The conference programme focused on …