In 1819, Liverpool-born, London-based physician John Bostock wrote a paper describing his signs that occurred each summer time. His sickness got here to be referred to as hay fever as a result of “it’s produced by the effluvium (odor) from new hay” (by way of Weldricks Pharmacy)
Nonetheless, in line with the BBC, Bostock did not agree that hay was the trigger and believed his signs have been exacerbated by “the exhausting warmth of summer time.” He discovered reduction by renting a clifftop home for 3 years.
It wasn’t till 1859 that Charles Blackley’s sneeze (attributable to a bouquet of bluegrass) propelled him to seek out out the precise reason for his signs wasn’t the substances created by hay. As a substitute, his discomfort resulted from grass pollen (by way of BBC).
Immediately, medical professionals typically discuss with the cold-like signs related to hay fever as allergic rhinitis and know it is attributable to pollen, mud mites, and pet dander (by way of the Mayo Clinic).
The BBC experiences that Bostock seemed for 9 years and solely discovered 28 circumstances much like his personal. Nonetheless, in 2018 the CDC stated greater than 19 million folks had been identified with allergic rhinitis or hay fever. Moreover, Individuals noticed their docs greater than 7 million occasions that yr, hoping to get some symptom reduction.
