James Watson, a discoverer of the structure of DNA, described it as "the most golden of molecules," the true chemical for life. Indeed, it is the essential component from which our genes are made. In it is encoded the genetic language that controls our destinies. Astonishingly powerful, just six millionths of a gram of DNA carries as much information as ten volumes of the Oxford English Dictionary . The "Book of Man," is the term used by Walter Bodmer and Robin McKie for the DNA that is the instruction set according to which all humans are made. At conception, a single cell--the fertilized...

This invaluable book provides comprehensive coverage of contemporary serological, cellular and molecular methodologies in histocompatibility testing, and their application to human organ transplantation and transfusion. The contributors are internationally respected authorities in histocompatibility and immunogenetics, and are closely involved in the development or application of state-of-the-art technologies. The first three sections of the book are primarily intended for use as a bench manual for histocompatibility testers, immunologists and immunogeneticists; the fourth and fifth sections,...