IMMUNITY: HOW ELIE METCHNIKOFF CHANGED THE COURSE OF MODERN MEDICINE
Book ID/图书代码： 06814015B86256
English Summary/英文概要： Around Christmas of 1882, while peering through a microscope at starfish larvae in which he had inserted tiny thorns, Russian zoologist Elie Metchnikoff had a brilliant insight: what if the mobile cells he saw gathering around the thorns were the same as white blood cells that traveled to the site of an injury or infection in a human or other animal? Was this some form of cellular defense? Metchnikoff’s theory of immunity, that phagocytes—white blood cells—formed the first line of defense against invading bacteria would eventually earn the scientist the unofficial moniker “Father of Natural Immunity” and a Nobel Prize. But first, he had to convince his colleagues, including the skeptical Robert Koch.
Author Luba Vikhanski chronicles Metchnikoff’s remarkable life, work, and discoveries in Immunity, the first modern biography of this hero of medicine. Metchnikoff was a towering figure in the scientific community of the early 20th century, a tireless humanitarian who worked to curb cholera, syphilis, and other diseases, and pioneered research into probiotics and gerontology, arguing that people could live to 150 years. His belief that sour milk might help delay aging gave rise to the modern yogurt industry. Though Metchnikoff is largely forgotten today, Vikhanski makes a compelling case that his work on natural immunity is finally receiving the attention it deserves.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 1882年的圣诞节时，俄罗斯动物学家Elie Metchnikoff在通过显微镜观察插入细刺的幼海星时突然有了一个想法：出现在细刺周围的那些细胞会不会就是人体或其他动物受伤或受到感染时聚集在伤口附近的白细胞呢？Metchnikoff的免疫理论认为，吞噬细胞，也就是白细胞，是针对入侵细菌形成防御的第一道防线。这一发现最终使他被科学家们称为“自然免疫之父”，并获得诺贝尔奖。但在当时，他最首要的任务是说服他的同事们，其中包括持怀疑论调的Robert Koch。
本书作者Luba Vikhanski记录了Metchnikoff非凡的生活和工作，以及他在免疫学方面的发现。本书也是这个英雄人物的第一本传记。Metchnikoff在20世纪初的科学界中属于权威人物，一个不知疲倦的人道主义者，夜以继日地研究如何遏制霍乱、梅毒等疾病，并率先涉足研究益生菌和老年医学，认为人能活到150年。他认为酸奶可以帮助延缓衰老，这一发现促进了现代酸奶产业的发展。虽然如今已经很少有人缅怀Metchnikoff，但本书是对于他的自然免疫工作的致敬。(LYR)
Awards/获奖情况：Chicago Review Press/2016 DGB controls: translation
"A portrait that captures not only the man, but also the end-of-the-19th century dynamism that fostered revolutions in art, politics, and science." —Kirkus Reviews
“Elie Metchnikoff was one of the most remarkable scientists of the turn of the twentieth century, . . . an immunologist ahead of his time, and also, in some ways, very much behind it. In Luba Vikhanski he has finally found a biographer who brings his gripping story to life in sprightly, engaged prose for the English-reading world.” —Michael D. Gordin, Rosengarten Professor of Modern and Contemporary History, Princeton University
“A sensitive, nuanced portrait . . . and at times reads like a thriller.” —Siamon Gordon, Emeritus Professor of Cellular Pathology, University of Oxford, and a Fellow of the Royal Society
“[an] outstanding, enlightening and delightful biography.” —The Jerusalem Post
“This book deftly unspools and celebrates both the profession and the personal life of a turn-of-the-century giant.” —Library Journal
“The story of a revolutionary era in medicine.” —The Washington Post
"Having gleaned a personal perspective from letters, the author [Vikhanski] builds Metchnikoff into a magnetic character and sets him in a vibrant scientific and historical scene. Immunity is smoothly written, with charming turns of phrase that engage and demand attention." —Foreword Reviews
“Vikhanski’s meticulous account of this almost-forgotten scientist reminds us of just how important a role obsession and stubbornness play in research.” —Booklist
About the Author/作者介绍： Luba Vikhanski是一个屡获殊荣的作家，此前曾担任科普记者和科普作品作家长达25年。她的作品发表在《纽约时报》、《自然医学》等期刊杂志上，还曾发表两本书籍：《A Well-Informed Patient’s Guide to Breast Surgery》以及《In Search of the Lost Cord: Solving the Mystery of Spinal Cord Regeneration》。她现居住在以色列。
Luba Vikhanski is an award-winning author with 25 years of experience as a popular science journalist and writer. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Nature Medicine, and the Jerusalem Post, and has written two books: A Well-Informed Patient’s Guide to Breast Surgery and In Search of the Lost Cord: Solving the Mystery of Spinal Cord Regeneration. She lives in Israel.
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