324 PHT

General Immunology

Immunology is defined as the study of the molecules, cells, organs, and systems responsible for the recognition and disposal of foreign material. Immunology began as a branch of microbiology. The study of infectious disease and the body’s response to them has a major role for the development of immunology. More over, the concept of germ theory of disease has contributed to the field of immunology.  It was Edward Jenner who first studied the response of the body to foreign substances. He observed that dairy maids who had naturally  contracted a mild infection called cowpox seemed to be protected against smallpox, a horribly disfiguring disease and a major killer.