Asthma and the Allergic Syndrome

Allan, William Dick (1931) Asthma and the Allergic Syndrome. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Full text available as:
[thumbnail of 13905351.pdf] PDF
Download (3MB)

Abstract

For many years past, much research has been carried on all over the world, towards the correlation of asthma, hay-fever, urticaria, eczema, angioneurotic oedema, and other little understood phenomena in specially "sensitive subjects". Freeman, has termed these reactions the "Toxic Idiopathies", in an effort to evolve a nomenclature, sufficiently comprehensive to cover every manifestation of sensibility. New clinical, biochemical, physiological and pathological opinions are constantly being expressed by the many research workers, who are attempting to investigate this group of phenomena until the collection of literature on the subject is truly bewildering, and the elucidation of one problem, leads one on to another of more profound complexity. Bibliographies have been published by Gideon Wells and others, of names allied with this problem, which gives one an idea of the immense amount of work that is being carried on.One must, I think admit, that the solution of the problem is not yet clear, and from the nature of the processes at work, and the complexity of the factors involved, it is doubtful if allergy will ever be the open book, so many workers of great clinical and scientific attainment have striven, and are still striving, to make it. Still, by our improved knowledge and methods of treatment, a considerable amount of suffering is being saved today, and if we can even mitigate the attacks, part at least of our mission, will certainly have been accomplished. Recognising that if the research of one worker was to be of use to another, some standard terminology was desirable. Kolmer, suggested the word "allergy". Other suggestions have been made by various authorities, e.g., "Toxic idiopathies", "Idiosyncrasy", "Atopy", "Anaphylaxis", etc., but only add to the already too many complications of the subject, by over-burdening the terminology with weighty titles. The symmetrical term to "Allergy" is "Allergen", and these terms I will make use of here. Some reference to the workers of the past seems only courteous, as much was appreciated by them, e.g. Blakeley, more than 50 years ago was working out pollen statistics, and these have been repeated and much discussed in recent years. Hyde Salter, first discovered the dermal reaction, and gave the first description of the "cat poison" - the first wheal, with which Lewis and Krogh are engrossed today. It is therefore seen what a debt of gratitude we owe to those "pioneers" in allergic research.

Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
Qualification Level: Doctoral
Keywords: Medicine, Immunology
Date of Award: 1931
Depositing User: Enlighten Team
Unique ID: glathesis:1931-79900
Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
Date Deposited: 31 Mar 2020 09:09
Last Modified: 31 Mar 2020 09:09
URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/79900

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year