Lambris JD, Holers VM, eds. (£90.00.) Humana Press, 2000. ISBN 0 896 03587 5

The title misled me at first. At last, how to treat my complement deficient patients with more than antibiotics and vaccination. Nope, the back cover hyperbole quickly dashed that thought. What is presented here is a topical review of ways to inhibit complement and its inflammatory role in many diseases.

The essential role of complement activation is being defined in an increasing number of human diseases. This book details the complement system itself and the search for synthetic or natural inhibitors of the inflammatory pathways of complement. The first chapter gives a concise overview of the complement system and the role of physiological inhibitors. It also summarises several diseases in which turning off complement could be beneficial—for example, ischaemia/reperfusion injury, autoimmune renal disease, and transplantation. It is also the …