In the preface, the author states that his purpose is to introduce immunology to "medical students, chemists, biologists and others interested in an understanding of the basic principles of the science." He points out that his book may be of service to persons who wish to undertake research on the subject.
Clearly, the book is not for clinicians if their interest in it is solely in the practical applications of immunology, for the material on this phase of the subject is incomplete, occasionally outdated and rarely inaccurate.
The chemistry of antigens and antibodies is exhaustively treated. Although the author states that his subject matter is for beginners, it is doubtful that the bulk of the data presented will be understandable to persons not thoroughly grounded in both inorganic and organic chemistry. Many classic concepts in immunology are "debunked" and explained in chemical terms. But to state that the subject is