ABSTRACT
Approximately a hundred years ago, in 1906, a Viennese pediatrician Pirquet introduced the concept of “allergy,” being a synonym of modižed reaction of an organism at the contact with triggering substances-allergens. The allergens were supposed to trigger the formation of ergins. The coupling of allergens with ergins was, according to Pirquet, the cause of allergic symptoms. Nowadays, due to the development of molecular methods, biochemistry and immunology, the structure of allergens has been shown, and numerous allergens have been obtained in vitro. Also, at least some of the mechanisms responsible for allergic reactions have been recognized.
