Immunology Today, vol. 3, No. 11, 1982 311

(nutumn book supplement The monstrous regimenting of women

This is a slightly curious collection of 'short stories', apparently com- missioned or selected on a somewhat arbitrary basis and having one thing in common - that all the writers, apart from the editor who contributes an introductory chapter, are women who have worked in some capacity in science. An extraordinary variety of nationalities are covered including American, British, French, ,Japanese, Indian, Iranian, Italian, Kenyan and Russian.

Such a recipe for a collection of short stories, each giving something of the background of the position of women in the relevant country and culture, plus a short autobiography, is not an obvious one for success. Scientists are not generally renowned for their expertise as writers and the form required here is an unfamiliar one which some have tackled suc- cessfully, others less' so. What is fascinating and often very moving is the content of these stories, and the extraordinary insight they offer into the workings of contemporary soci- eties, particularly with respect to how each treats half their members. The interaction of social expectations of women with their perception and will, as exemplified by these particular scientists, is a story of trimnph and offers substantial encouragement to the next generation of women scien- tists and to all women who take

) W o m e n Scientists - T h e Road to L i b e r a t i o n

edited by Derek Richter, Macmillan Press, 1982. £ lO.O0 ( vi + 219 pages) 1SBN 0 3,33 32468 d

themselves and their aspirations seriously.

Some chapters give a very acute analysis of the history of the social structure as it pertains to women. The most painfully moving and beautifully written is that ofW. Muta Maathai of Kenya. The ,Japanese and the Iranian writers also describe societies in which the cards have been very heavily stacked against women, which makes their own achievements even more remarkable. To sexist oppression anti- Semitic terror is added in the story of Rita Levi-Montalcini. Her final analy- sis of the necessary role of women to challenge the order of things which keep women under-represented in high positions in science and politics is written with perception and authority.

Countries in the 'enlightened' western world do not get off lightly. Social expectations have made the careers of women scientists in Amer- ica, England and Sweden more difficult to start in the first place, and in some cases, more difficult to sustain once started. Dorothy Needham tells of a career in research in Cambridge starting in the 1930s in which she

never received a substantive post, and was expected, as a married woman, to exist on a series of research grants.

Social analysis of some contribu- tions is not strong, but the auto- biographical aspect provides more than just personal information. The 'autobiography of an unknown woman' by R. Rajalashmi of India is a case in point, and her struggles to do work which she felt was satisfying to her and which was also useful to her compatriots adds a note of social responsibility. Her wish to see women play a full role in society is driven and tempered by a wish to deal with appalling ignorance and poverty.

What comes through very strongly in this volume is the essential humanity of these scientists. There are no 'iron maidens' here. They are caring people, driven by a strong desire to achieve something in their work, but also supported by and supporting families and friends. There is very little evidence of ruthless pursuits of goals: they are an object lesson on how human beings, men and women, can achieve a balance between their love and responsibilities towards others and their love of s c h o l a r s h i p , science, or o the r endeavour.

E L I Z A B E T t I S I M P S O N

IzTizabeth Smlpson is in the Transplantation Biology Section o/" the Clinical Research Centre, Harrow, Middh, sex IIA 1 3UJ, U.K.

Surviving Capitol punishment Pure Pol i t ics and I m p u r e Science

by Arthur M. Silverstein, The Johns ttop- kins University Press, 7987. £8.75/$15.00 (xv + 176pages) ISBNO 8018 26,32 2 Influenza has aptly been described as the last great plague of mankind I. It is an important disease which occurs in epidemic fashion with high morbidity and mortality. As Arthur Silverstein points out in this book, 'There is one disease, however, that medical students will probably continue to see now and in the future, just as succeed- ing generations have seen it in the past. This disease is influenza.' tie adds ' . . . because it is the last of the

great infectious agents that trouble mankind for which biochemical re- search has not been able to propose even a theoretically permanent solu- tion.'

Most people know that influenza produced a truly monumental pan- demic in 1918-1919, during which 20000000 people died. In the United States, the mortality from this epi- demic was est imated to be an astounding 0.5 percent of the popula- tion. Clearly an infectious disease with the potential to kill thousands of people in a short time can not be taken lightly. This book is a record of the events which led to the National Influ- enza Immunization Program (NIIP),

which is more familiarly known as the Swine Flu Program of ]976. The NIIP was an attempt by the United States Government to prevent an epidemic of influenza which was predicted from an outbreak of swine influenza at a military camp in New Jersey. How- ever, the book is more than a chrono- logical recording of events. The author not only relates the historic facts, but he articulates the practical problems public health authorities face in dealing with influenza, and the political considerations which led to this program. These factors must be weighed and understood before the NIIP itself can be understood. The immunizat ion program was con- fronted by many questions and pro- blems. How good was the prediction