Overview
Discover the untold story of the scientist who revolutionized our understanding of immunity. Around Christmas of 1882, Elie Metchnikoff had a brilliant insight: what if the mobile cells he saw gathering around thorns were a form of cellular defense? Luba Vikhanski chronicles Metchnikoff’s remarkable life and work, revealing the challenges he faced in developing his revolutionary theory of immunity.
Immunity explores Metchnikoff's pioneering research, his clashes with the scientific establishment, and his lasting impact on modern medicine. Learn how Metchnikoff:
- Earned a Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking work on phagocytosis
- Championed the importance of gut health and probiotics
- Strove to curb deadly diseases and improve public health
For readers interested in medical history, scientific biographies, and the fascinating story of a visionary scientist ahead of his time.
Reviews
"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
Author Biography
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 is the author of 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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