Metchnikoff and the Origins of Immunology: From Metaphor to Theory

This fascinating scientific biography is the first critical study of the work of Elie Metchnikoff, the founding father of modern immunology. Metchnikoff authored and championed the theory phagocytic cells actively defend the host body against pathogens and disease. It was the first theory of active immunity, but only a segment of an encompassing theory of self hood achieved through self-defining, dynamic processes.