Catherine Carver’s ‘Immune’: A book that leaves you fascinated by your own body

Catherine Carver, author, and book cover of her novel Immune, published by Bloomsbury

Physician Catherine Carver introduces the reader to the defence system of the human body through conversational language and shocking statistics.

Through her debut book ‘Immune’, Catherine Carver brings the defence system of the human body alive in the reader’s mind. From lab-grown vaginas, and a swollen scrotum weighing 55kg, to a poo collecting bank in Boston, Carver brings to light a wide variety of facts and stories.

The physician and science communicator digs deep into the complicated yet amazing working of the hidden army in the body by unveiling micron-sized neutrophils, which she calls “heroes” in her tale of the defence system.

The book offers a ride into the immune system of the human body and, bit by bit, reveals the often-ignored but miraculous happenings in its unseen corners – things like tears, goblet cells lining the guts that produce mucous, and even earwax. It doesn’t stop there; these miracles include sex, pregnancy, and transplantations as well.

Even a topic like allergies is intriguing – Carver mentions allergies to body exercise, water, and women being allergic to seminal fluid. What if a man was allergic to his own seminal fluid? That also exists in the mysterious world of immunity.

The ‘hero’ suddenly gets portrayed as the guy in the black hat in a few chapters, which explore what happens when the defence mechanism stops working, or simply doesn’t exist, as in the case of David Vetter, who was born with a Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID).

Deadly diseases like ebola and cancer have been discussed in detail by dedicating separate chapters. These chapters go on to discover the origin and outbreak of these diseases, and how they are tough opponents the immune system has to wrestle with.

A very interesting section in the book is Chapter 4, dedicated to transplants. It throws light on unbelievable achievements in the medical history – such as the successful transplantation of lab-grown vaginas into four young women affected by Mayer-Rotitansky-Küster-Hauser Syndrome. Another phenomenal triumph mentioned is the case of nine-year-old Alannah Shevenell, six of whose organs were replaced in one surgery.

Yet, in the blink of an eye, accomplishments like these are reduced to ashes if the immune system rejects them. The book documents failures like xenotransplantations, where Baby Fae’s body rejected the heart of a baboon.

Conversational language, shocking stats

Throughout the book, Carver maintains a very conversational and humorous tone. “Propelled into an acid mucus bath and forced to swim past an aggressive border patrol that makes immigration staff at Heathrow seem jovial, all to get to an egg that might never arrive,” she writes about sperms.

She also brings up shocking statistics – a single 10-second French kiss transfers 80 million bacteria; 78 per cent of autoimmune disease-affected patients being women, etc.

If that doesn’t thrill you, this one will: Egyptians used pessary of seed wool, acacia, dates, and honey as a physical contraceptive solution 4,000 years ago.

As the reader flips through the pages, there are many moments that make him or her cringe as Carver throws awkward truths and odious real-life experiences involving the body’s defences.

Though bits and pieces of the book resemble a biology textbook, Carver certainly leaves the reader with immense revelations, awe, and appreciation of their own bodies. That is probably the greatest achievement for ‘Immune’ and its author.