Ancestors of Allergy is an abbreviated history of the origins and pioneers in the broader field of immunology. Beginning with accounts that stretch back thousands of years, Ancestors walks us through the rudimentary descriptions and treatments of allergies and asthma up through current times. For those interested in a brief but interesting history of those who discovered and shaped the study and treatment of these respiratory ailments, Ancestors is a quick, but excellent read.

_Culture by culture, allergies and asthma have been described and treated. Over two thousand years ago the Chinese had identified asthma-like symptoms, such as wheezing, and were treating it with the ephedra plant. In ancient Greece, Hippocrates first coined the terms ‘asthma,