Abstract

Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide. In The War Within Us, well-known author and infectious disease specialist Cedric Mims makes the intricacies of the immune system and infectious diseases less baffling for the general reader and answers the questions of how things work and why. The story is told in terms of the ancient conflict between the invader (the infectious disease) and the defender (the body's immune system) and the strategies and counter-strategies used by both sides, making it a book that is both informative and interesting to read.
The War Within Us is an ideal introduction to the basics of immunity and infection for general readers and students. It also serves as a quick reference book for physicians, researchers, and other health workers.

• Parasite versus host
• The conflict: how we defend ourselves
• The microbe's response to our defence
• How microbes cause diseas
• Thumbnail sketches of seven selected diseases: 
• The threat of new diseases

"Mims has written an attractive and brief overview of the current understanding of immunity and infectious disease...the reader is left with a broad understanding of the insidious destructiveness of infectious diseases." -- Nature
"The book is a fascinating read. It combines clinical science and popular medicine, with easily recognisable cases from everyday life. It looks at how our bodies work in defending against fighting infection, and how discoveries have changed our understanding of both the immune system and the invaders, both friend and foe." -- BMA Awards 2001