Allergy Definition Allergies are abnormal reactions of the immune system that occur in response to otherwise harmless substances.

Etymology From Ger. Allergie, coined 1906 by Austrian pediatrician Clemens E. von Pirquet (18741929) from Gk. allos "other, different, strange" + ergon "activity" Related Terms Allergen: A substance that the body perceives as dangerous and causes an allergic reaction. Histamine: A compound found in mammalian tissues that causes stretching of capillaries, contraction of smooth muscle, and stimulation of gastric acid secretions; released during allergic reactions. Immunology Definition The branch of biomedicine that is concerned with the structure and function of the immune system, innate and acquired immunity, and laboratory techniques involving the interaction of antigens with antibodies. Etymology From L. immunis "exempt from public service, free from taxes." Specific modern medical sense of "exempt from a disease" + logos, (science) Related Terms Immunosuppressive: Describes a treatment that suppresses natural immune responsesfor example, chemotherapy for cancer. Trivia One of the important discoveries in the field of immunology is the discovery of vaccine, usually in the process of inoculation. In the late 1700s, when Edward Jenner, a country doctor, sought to explain why milkmaids and other farmhands exposed to cowpox, a relatively mild disease, did not come down with smallpox. To test the theory that cowpox exposure somehow bolstered a persons defenses against smallpox, Jenner took pus from a milkmaid infected with cowpox and injected it into a healthy eight-year-old boy. Jenner then exposed the child to smallpox, but the child never succumbed. Endocrinology Definition A medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the endocrine system. Etymology Etymology: Gk, endon (from within) + krinein,(to secrete), logos, (science)

Related Terms

Hormone: A chemical produced by an endocrine gland and released into the blood. It travels to other organs of the body where it produces its effect. gland (gland) an aggregation of cells specialized to secrete or excrete materials not related to their ordinary metabolic needs. Trivia Exocrine glands, such as sweat and salivary glands, secrete externally and internally via ducts. Endocrine glands secrete hormones internally, using the bloodstream. Dermatology Definition The study of the skin, including its anatomic, physiologic, and pathologic characteristics and the diagnosis and treatment of skin disorders. Etymology Before vowels, dermat-, word-forming element meaning "of or pertaining to skin," from Gk. dermato- (shortened form dermo-), from derma "skin", logos, (science) Related Terms Dermatosis: a skin disease. Dermatitis: an inflammation of the skin. Sources: For definitions: http://www.thefreedictionary.com For etymologies: http://www.etymonline.com For related terms and trivia: http://www.dana.org http://www.patient.co.uk http://www.beallergywise.com http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/medicine/units/immunology/pdffiles/glossary.pdf