A seminal monograph: Mackay and Burnet's Autoimmune diseases

Mackay and Burnet's Autoimmune diseases, published in 1962, marked the beginning of autoimmunity as a clinical science and led to the future acceptance of the existence of autoimmunity. While there is still controversy regarding the mechanisms of autoimmunity, the authors' insightful hypot...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Medical journal of Australia 2012-01, Vol.196 (1), p.74-76
Main Authors: Roberts-Thomson, Peter J, Jackson, Michael W, Gordon, Thomas P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Australia
Autoimmune Diseases - history
Burnet
History, 20th Century
Humans
Mackay
Periodicals as Topic - history
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Summary:Mackay and Burnet's Autoimmune diseases, published in 1962, marked the beginning of autoimmunity as a clinical science and led to the future acceptance of the existence of autoimmunity. While there is still controversy regarding the mechanisms of autoimmunity, the authors' insightful hypothesis based on clonal selection theory and the emergence of "forbidden clones", due to somatic mutations, is still current, with recent evidence giving further credence to this hypothesis. We salute Mackay and Burnet on the 50th anniversary of this seminal publication. It is particularly pleasing that it has an iconic Australian origin.
ISSN:0025-729X
1326-5377
DOI:10.5694/mja11.10821