THE DISCOVERY OF ANAPHYLAXIA

While studying the toxicology of various coelenteres fishing filament poisons, Charles Richer and Paul Portier observed cases of rapid death which had no correlation with the injected doses. In dogs, death only occurred in those which, more than 15 days beforehand, had withstood well an injection more concentrated or identical to the later fatal on e. The authors created the neologism 'anaphylaxis' which signifies 'no n-protection'. Thus, it appeared that an immune response could be path ological. This discovery opened the subject area of immunopathology at a period of rime when, in contrast, vaccination and serotherapy resea rches were prominent. ((C) Academie des sciences/Elsevier, Paris.)