ALLERGY—THE UNANSWERED CHALLENGE IN PEDIATRIC RESEARCH, EDUCATION AND PRACTICE

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Abstract
THE NEGLECT OF TRAINING IN ALLERGY Perhaps the most remarkable thing about allergy is its relative neglect in the field of medical research, education and practice. This phenomenon has been recognized by a number of leaders in the field. "Allergy is sadly neglected in the medical schools of this country. Some department heads look upon it as scarcely more scientific than witchcraft. . . . There is no question that medicine either ridiculed or ignored. . . . The chances are overwhelming that as a resident—(the physician) had no exposure whatever to an allergy service or guidance from one trained in allergy." A review of the program of the Society for Pediatric Research for the past several years shows that, while there were many papers on varied subjects, few of them dealt with allergy. THE PROBLEM OF THE PRACTICING PEDIATRICIAN Our discussion of this subject is presented from the point of view of practicing pediatricians who have struggled with the problems of allergy in a general pediatric practice for some 9 years. During this period, the recognition and management of children with allergic disease presented such a problem that we had to take a more active interest in it as a matter of "self defense." In comparing our training with that of other pediatricians, we feel that our exposure, and the quality of the instruction given us in managing the allergic child, was well above the average. Nevertheless, we still were inadequately prepared to meet the needs of countless hundreds of our patients. A recent study of the incidence of allergic disease in our practice during the year 1954 showed that 14% of an unselected, consecutive group of children coming to our general pediatric clinic had major, unquestioned allergic disease, including asthma, hay fever, allergic rhinitis and eczema. An additional 18% had findings which warranted a classification of "probably allergic."

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