Immunological Diseases

In his preface to the first edition ofImmunological DiseasesSamter asked the question, "How long will it be before the book is out of date?" Unfortunately, the answer was "al most immediately." No biological or human process can continue its logarithmic growth phase indefinitely, however, and now, seven years later, his hope that obsolescence is not imminent seems reasonable. Immunology has matured. The basic format of the second edition remains the same but many of the authors and almost all of the text are new. Samter has called on four able colleagues as editors for the five sections of the book: "Basic Immunology," "Non-atopic Immunological Disorders," "Atopic Diseases," "Allergic Reaction Patterns of the Skin," and "Diseases with Immunological Features." In turn, the section editors have chosen a hundred authors, each a prominent contributor to the development of his assigned topic and, equally important, each able to present his own