11/28/2025
In the 9th century, Persian physician Rhazes (al-Razi) described wheezing, swelling, and itching that appeared immediately after eating certain foods. His extensive medical work al-Hawi contains some of the earliest accounts of food-induced asthma and hives.
He emphasized that people react differently to the same food β an early insight into individual immune sensitivity centuries before the word allergy existed.
Sources:
National Library of Medicine β Rhazes Manuscripts
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/arabic/rahzes.html
World Digital Library β al-Hawi
https://www.wdl.org/en/item/7428/
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