Our immune systems are unbelievably complex. There’s still a lot we don’t know about how they work. We usually talk about the immune system using metaphors–it’s boosted like a race-car; or suppressed, like a protest; it’s fighting, like an army. Sometimes it’s helping us. Sometimes it’s the thing that’s killing us. All those metaphors give us something to grasp at–but they can also box us into ways of thinking that aren’t useful.
Daniel M Davis set out to explain what we know about the immune system by telling the stories of people across generations groping towards a better understanding of how our bodies respond to disease.
Guest:
Daniel M. Davis, professor of immunology at the University of Manchester. His most recent book is The Beautiful Cure: The revolution in immunology and what it means for your health