When Clemens von Pirquet introduced the term allergy in 1906, many experts questioned whether one word could cover a whole constellation of sensitivities. As Jackson demonstrates, the term eventually gained acceptance, but its meaning remains slippery. The beauty of Jackson's study is his combination of the cultural and social with the medical, the result of which is a masterful overview of the evolution of allergy as a public health problem. Including detailed analyses of the debates over the role of the immune system in allergy and the different treatments for hypersensitivity, Jackson simultaneously surveys images of allergy in pop culture-from poet Ann Sexton to cyberpunk science fiction author Jeff Noon-as well as the term's common currency as shorthand for intense dislike (being "allergic" to housework). Tracing allergy from a malady of the elite to a global pandemic, Jackson explores theories behind the surge in allergies, including the rise in industrial toxins and unhealthy home and work conditions. Some readers may find Jackson's style dry, and his analysis of medical debates may go over some heads, but his book provides a comprehensive look at allergies as a phenomenon in culture, politics and science.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
"An important book because Jackson achieves a goal broadly shared, but infrequently realised, by current historians of medicine: to integrate biological and cultural events and to synchronise scientific change and social forces in a perceptive analysis. . . . a fine book."—The Lancet
(
The Lancet 20060513)
"Numerous books have been written about the history of immunology, but none to this reviewer''s knowledge that focuses specifically on allergies. To boot, Jackson looks beyond medical aspects to analyze social, cultural, political, geographical, and economic implications. This is heavy reading well worth the effort, with exhaustive references that contribute to the book''s scholarly value. Highly recommended."--Library Journal
(Tina Neville
Library Journal 20060502)
"As you snuffle through the next pollen season, you might be consoled by reading this fascinating book."--New Scientist
(Adrian Barnett
New Scientist 20060510)
"Presents a fascinating in-depth study of allergies. . . . Through his meticulous research into the rise of allergies throughout the 20th century, he is able to draw sharp insights into how cultural, medical, parmaceutical and environmental forces have brought us to the point that one in three people will be diagnosed with an allergy. "--Irish Times
(Sylvia Thompson
Irish Times 20060612)
"Social histories like this one provide a needed corrective to the reconstructions offered from the benefit of scientific hindsight. . . Jackson has provided a rich example of how allergy has undergone shifted meaning—scientific and social—as well as illustrating Western health care practices of the last century."—Journal of the American Medical Association
(Alfred I. Tauber
Journal of the American Medical Association 20060622)
"The beauty of Jackson''s study is his combination of the cultural and social with the medical, the result of which is a masterful overview of the evolution of the allergy as a public health problem. . . . His book provides a comprehensive look at allergies as a phenomenon in culture, politics, and science."--Publishers Weekly
(
Publishers Weekly 20060612)
"He makes a convincing argument that to look on his subject in a straightforward way will not do, and it''s impossible to understand allergy without placing it in the context of modern medicine. . . . Excellent account."--London Review of Books
(Hugh Pennington
London Review of Books 20060729)
"Meticulously researched and written, and of undoubted value."--The Independent
(Jeremy Laurance
The Independent 20060801)
"Meticulously researched. . . . Jackson''s fascinating study is undoubtedly an important contribution to the social history of medicine."--The Guardian
(
The Guardian 20060722)
"The book provides a perceptive insight into the historical development of allergy, indicating how thinking changes. It gives fascinating vignettes of key researchers involved in the history of allergy and contains some interesting anecdotes about their lives. . . . Jackson’s succinct and clearly written book is aimed at the informed lay reader. He admirably avoids using jargon and scientific terminology, and gives fascinating insight into the rise in allergic diseases and how this is linked to our modern lifestyle. I recommend this book, which helps us to understand the relationship between health and the environment, and explains why modern living can be detrimental to our health."--Nature
(Peter J. Barnes
Nature 20060923)
"Jackson is at his most alert on the recent history, real and metaphorical. This is as much a book about the modern imagination as about suffering. . . . Allergy, as Jackson demonstrates, is both a medical reality and a cultural phantasm."—Brian Dillon, Financial Times
(Brian Dillon
Financial Times 20070518)
"Wide ranging work. . . . Jackson illustrates his arguments with delightful reference to the culture and popular media of the day. . . . This book is a remarkable scholarly work that should serve as an exemplar of its genre."--British Medical Journal
(J. Henderson
British Medical Journal )
"A splendid book. . . . Conventional historians of immunology and bedside medicine may read Allergy with blinkers and find much sound scholarship, but it deserves a wider audience."--Times Literary Supplement
(Christopher Lawrence
Times Literary Supplement )
