top of page
Writer's picturebernice

The Science Behind Allergies

Updated: Aug 24, 2022

How can you identify what an allergy is? What is the history of allergies? Click here to learn more about why allergies exist!


Figure 1: A girl sneezing


History Behind Allergies


In 1906, when Clemens Von Pirquet, a Viennese scientist, produced a paper entitled, “On the Theory of Infectious Disease.” Pirquet makes the claim that symptoms caused by infection were not only the result of the actions of microorganisms and their toxins but also the body’s response to them. The revolutionary theory was met with resistance in the scientific realm.


Despite this setback, Pirquet continued his research and later that same year would release a now classic article entitled, “Allergies”. He noted that exposure of the body to a substance resulted in the production of antibodies that induced a change in subject-specific reactivity to the substance.” He also noted that the change can be protective in the case of immunity or harmful in the case of hypersensitivity.


Today’s Definition of Allergies


Today, allergies are seen as your body’s reaction to a substance it views as a harmful “invader.” Millions of people throughout the world are being affected by allergies and they are rapidly becoming more common. You can develop an allergy to many different environmental factors and they can manifest in a myriad of ways.


Most Common Allergies

  1. Tree and Grass Pollen

  2. House Dust Mites' Foods

  3. Animal Fur

  4. Insect Stings

Symptoms of Allergic Reactions

  1. A Runny Nose

  2. Sneezing Pain

  3. Coughing

  4. Wheezing

  5. Breathlessness

Personal Opinion


I think that allergies are very common among people and many of my family members and friends have allergic reactions towards food, dust etc. We have learnt to control the seriousness of certain allergic reactions over the years and therefore many people can live a normal life with allergies.


Citations:



62 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page