Metchnikoff and the Origins of Immunology: From Metaphor to Theory (Monographs on the History and Philosophy of Biology)

This fascinating intellectual history is the first critical study of the work of Elie Metchnikoff, the founding father of modern immunology. Metchnikoff authored and championed the theory that phagocytic cells actively defend the host body against pathogens and diseased cells. His program developed from comparative embryological studies that sought to establish genealogical relations between species at the dawn of the Darwinian revolution. In this scientific biography, Tauber and Chernyak explore ore Metchnikoff's development as an embryologist, showing how it prepared him to propose his theory of host-pathogen interaction. They discuss the profound impact of Darwin's theory of evolution on Metchnikoff's progress, and the influence of 19th century debates on vitalism, teleology, and mechanism. As a case study of scientific discovery, this work offers lucid insight into the process of creative science and its dependence on cultural and philosophic sources. Immunologists and historians of science and medicine will find it an absorbing and accessible account of a remarkable individual. Foreword......Page 8 Contents......Page 20 1. Introduction......Page 24 2. Metchnikoff's Early Embryology......Page 54 3. Metchnikoff's Embryological Studies after 1872......Page 79 4. The Problem of Evolution in Metchnikoff's Works......Page 97 5. Metchnikoff's Emerging Concept of Inflammation......Page 130 6. The Phagocytosis Theory and Its Reception......Page 164 7. The Phagocyte Eclipsed......Page 183 8. Epilogue: From Metaphor to Theory......Page 204 Appendix A: Morphologists versus Darwinians, the Modern Debate......Page 212 Appendix B: Current Views of Phagocyte Function......Page 220 Notes and References......Page 228 B......Page 266 D......Page 267 E......Page 268 H......Page 269 K......Page 270 M......Page 271 O......Page 272 P......Page 273 S......Page 274 W......Page 275 Z......Page 276 Foreword / Scott Gilbert -- Metchnikoff's Early Embryology -- Metchnikoff's Embryological Studies After 1872 -- The Problem Of Evolution In Metchnikoff's Works -- Metchnikoff's Emerging Concept Of Inflammation -- The Phagocytosis Theory And Its Reception -- The Phagocyte Eclipsed -- Epilogue: From Metaphor To Theory -- Morphologists Versus Darwinians, The Modern Debate -- Current Views Of Phagocyte Function. Alfred I. Tauber, Leon Chernyak. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 199-236) And Index. A critical study of the work of Elie Metchnikoff, the founding father of modern immunology. It explores Metchnikoff's development as an embryologist, showing how it prepared him to propose his theory of host-pathogen interaction.