Hay feverIn 1819, the first clinical description of an allergy was delivered by Dr John Bostock to the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society meeting in London. Bostock's paper, published in the society's Transactions, was titled “A Case of the Periodical Affectation of the Eyes and Chest.” It was, in reality, a description of his personal sufferings (During hay season, lay-persons called it hay fever.) In 1828, he gave a longer, more detailed paper, describing 28 more case, titled “OnCatarrhus Æstivus or Summer Catarrh.”For many years doctors called it “Bostock's catarrh.” Pollens of grasses, weeds and trees (also mold spores) are the main causes of this type of allergy.The nose lining swells, with a runny discharge. Also spells of sneezing and itchiness of the throat and palate also occur. The eyes may be similarly affected.«[Ref: Medico-Chirurgical Transactions (1819), 10:1, 161-165, and (1828), 12, 437-447.] |
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