The History of Allergies

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Reactions with descriptions matching the characteristics of an allergic reaction have been recorded in historical documents in ancient China, Rome, Egypt, and Greece.

In 1819, Dr. John Bostock wrote a detailed description on hay fever. As described by Mayo  Clinic, hay  fevers  are  caused  not  by  a  virus,  but by an allergen. This discovery became the onset of our understanding of allergies today.

Immunotherapy was first introduced in 1914. This therapy process consists of building up the patient's immune system through a series of administered injections.

Antihistamines were first used to combat allergic reactions in the 1930s. These combat reactions by exponentially lessening the body's response to the allergen.

Mast cells help identify the underlying causes of allergies and what specifically sets off the response from the immune system in the body.

The epinephrine auto-injector, also known as the EpiPen, was first developed mid-1970s and was approved for marketing by the FDA in 1987.