Immunology as an independent discipline is just I 00 years old. In the
Pasteurian era, it was the direct handmaiden of medical microbiology,
but with Landsteiner's discovery of the blood groups in I 90 I,
immunology burst through into other fields. This spreading of immunology
into many facets of biology and medicine has con- tinued at an
accelerating pace, particularly over these last 20 years. For the
physician, immunology is a 'horizontal' specialty, breaking the confines
of a single organ system and touching an enormous number of chronie
diseases. This spreading tendency of immunology is both a source of
great fascination and great frustration. The research worker in
immunology is delighted to be engaged at so many frontiers. The
clinician who must use the new research knowledge to help the patient
can easily be confused and overwhelmed. The fact that immunology is
poorly taught in most medical courses makes things worse. These are the
reasons why physicians, clinical pathologists and undergraduate and
postgraudate students should hail the publication of 'Diagnostic
Immunology and Serology'.