HARRISON’S HEMATOLOGY AND ONCOLOGY

The simplest definition of inflammation is best stated in Latin: calor, dolor, rubor, tumor. This assonant phrase refers to the heat (calor), pain (dolor), redness (rubor), and swelling (tumor) that characterize the clinical symptoms of inflammation as they were defined in the first century AD by the Roman scholar Celsus. After more than two millennia of science and medicine, however, our knowledge has expanded far beyond this simple definition of four words. The complex processes and consequences of inflammation now provide enough material to fill entire textbooks, the latest of which is Fundamentals of Inflammation, edited by Charles N. Serhan, Peter A. Ward, and Derek W. Gilroy. Inflammation can be an unwieldy subject, encompassing diverse topics such as cell biology, biochemistry, and pathology, among others. To streamline the text, the editors have divided

Fundamentals of Inflammation into six parts: an overview of inflammation, sections on individual cell types, chemical mediators, immunopharmacology, inflammatory diseases and histology, and animal models of inflammation. This organization benefits the text in two ways. First, it facilitates the use of the book as a quick reference, as a reader interested in anti-inflammatory drugs, for example, could easily flip to the section on immunopharmacology.

In addition, this organization allows for ample discussion of the varied facets of inflammation, making this book relevant to readers from a variety of professional backgrounds, including medicine, basic or translational research, or industry. Another appealing feature of this book is that each chapter is written by experts in the various fields of inflammation, which transforms Fundamentals of Inflammation from a traditional textbook to a collection of scientific reviews that is imbued with recent data as well as the viewpoints of its authors. Notably, editors Gilroy and Serhan have included sections on the resolution of inflammation, an important topic that is often overlooked in immunology textbooks. This addition further contributes to the uniqueness and usefulness of this text. Overall, due to its organization and thoroughness, as well as the contributions of its many authors, Fundamentals of Inflammation is an excellent reference for researchers, clinicians, and students of immunology and physiology.