The Lymphatic and Immune Systems
The lymphatic system is responsible for the removal of excess fluids from body tissues and for the production of immune cells. Working in conjunction with the lymphatic system is the immune system, a collection of mechanisms within the body that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. In this Web guide, we recommend online resources to learn about (or teach) the lymphatic and the immune systems for every level of expertise and interest.
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Expand All Guide SectionsLymphatic and Immune System Basics
Wondering how your body fights off and protects you from disease and infection? Looking to learn more about a loved one’s illness? Writing a paper for your biology class? You’ll find a wealth of useful information on Web sites in this section.
Dulcinea's Insight
- If you’re doing a research paper, you’ll definitely want to cull information from a number of sites. Take a look at all the sites in this section for various perspectives.
Dulcinea's Picks
Michael J. Farabee, Ph.D.
, a biology professor at Estrella Mountain Community College, presents a comprehensive yet very clear and understandable discussion of the lymphatic system and immunity. The text is complemented by numerous informative drawings as well as several fascinating photographs. All technical terms in the text link to a glossary.
SigBio’s Virtual Anatomy Textbook
is a student project hosted by the University of Illinois. You’ll find a clear, succinct overview of the lymphatic system followed by a list of the major parts of the system. Each of these parts links to a labeled diagram, a brief explanation and, in many cases, actual photographs.
The Lymphatic System
, a site created by a professor at the University of Luton in the U.K., provides an enormous amount of information while keeping the language simple and easy to understand. The table of contents provides links to discussions of all facets of the lymphatic system, many of which are enhanced by animated diagrams and photographs.
Lymphatic and Immune Systems for Kids
If your son wants to know why the glands in his neck hurt, or you and your child are wondering why you keep getting sick in the winter, you’re sure to find a good explanation from the sites below. Teachers can also find plenty of useful introductory information, quizzes and fun facts to use in the classroom.
Dulcinea's Insight
- The sites in this section include plenty of information on scientific concepts. They also present interesting ways to familiarize kids with the way germs are spread, and discuss some preventative measures that help them avoid getting sick.
Dulcinea's Picks
Child and Youth Health
is a site for kids maintained by a division of the South Australia government. This section on the immune system provides appropriate information broken up into easily digestible sections that explain what the immune system does, how it works, and what happens when it doesn’t do its job. The text is accompanied by illustrations drawn by children. For more, visit the complementary section on Kids’ Immunization.
Biology4Kids.com
presents a brief yet effective introduction to the immune system for kids. Much of it discusses how the system helps prevent you from getting sick, and it lets kids test their knowledge of the immune system with an online quiz. The site has a similar section on the lymphatic system that focuses on examples of lymphatic phenomena kids can relate to, such as swollen glands and swelling after an injury.
Advanced Immune System Resources
Immune disorders are quite common and often deadly. If you’re looking for highly technical information about the intimately related lymphatic and immune systems, this section will direct you to the best Web sites.
Dulcinea's Insight
- There are many excellent peer-reviewed lymphology and immunology journals that cover the latest research on a broad array of topics. Among them are Lymphatic Research and Biology, Lymphology, The Journal of Immunology, Nature Immunology, and European Journal of Immunology. However, as with most journals, full-text access to articles in these publications requires paid subscriptions. One notable exception is the renowned British journal Immunology, which offers free access to all full-text articles in its archive ranging from 1958 through 2007.
- To ensure that the information on the site is still accurate and relevant, it’s a good idea to check the date (usually at the bottom of the page) to ensure that it was written or updated relatively recently. The sites we recommend in this section are all up to date.
Dulcinea's Picks
Western Kentucky University
offers the vast majority of lectures from its introductory course on the mammalian immune system online. Peruse the syllabus to link directly to the lecture topic you’re interested in. Outlines of the entire semester of lectures are also available here.
Miami University of Ohio
includes nearly all of its lecture notes—in outline form—from a senior-level immunology course. The outlines are information-intensive and highly technical.
Kimball’s Biology Pages
gives a concise overview of the lymphatic system that includes several cross-references to other discussions that are exceedingly technical and include numerous cross-references of their own. This site is, therefore, suitable to the researcher or professional seeking to delve deeply into this—and related—subject matters.
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