Physiological Effects of Immunity Against Reproductive Hormones

The book details many studies on the transfer of immunoglobulins across both the placental and intestinal barriers, the latter phenomenon being more important in some animals than in humans. Documented are the papers themselves, the discussions that followed and a useful amount of bibliographic material for further reading. There are numerous diagrams in the book which are well thought out and unlike many "proceedings" this book was not photo-reproduced but carefully printed. The book starts with an excellent review of the biological activities located within the Fc region of immunoglobulins and this is followed by an equally important and instructive essay on cell surface membrane interactions in reproductive physiology. A grasp of these biological principles is necessary to understand the detailed studies that follow. For the most part the papers are admirably clear and this volume collects for the first time all the major studies in this area. For the researcher whose work is leading him towards this field there could be no better way of coming to grips with its literature. However, this is a highly specialized book that requires some background knowledge of immunology before it can be successfully approached. There is some discussion in the book on the immunosuppressive properties of maternal antiimmunoglobulin but the topic of the fetus as an allograft is not covered. The important question of allotypic suppression by maternal anti-allotype antibody is discussed but little is said of the potential advantages and disadvantages to the human fetus of deliberately immunizing mothers with antigens likely to present problems to the neonate, a practical topic that one would have enjoyed seeing discussed by these qualified participants. The third volume in the series entitled "The Physiological Consequences of Immunity to Reproductive Hormones" is in preparation and it is to be hoped that the same editors will attempt to gather together in a similarly clear fashion all the data related to the immunology of the fetus as an allograft. JOHN DWYER Department of Medicine Yale University School of Medicine