Charles Harrison Blackley

Charles Harrison Blackley
Charles Harrison Blackley
Born 5 April 1820(1820-04-05)
Bolton, Lancashire, England
Died 4 September 1900(1900-09-04) (aged 80)
Ormskirk, Lancashire, England
Nationality United Kingdom
Occupation Medical Doctor

Charles Harrison Blackley (5 April 1820–4 September 1900) was the discoverer of the mechanism behind allergic rhinitis caused by pollen, commonly called hay fever.[1] The isolation of hay fever as a condition had been known since 1819 through the work of John Bostock. Blackley was the first to connect pollen to the condition, and though he held some later discredited views, his insight was an important step in the research of allergens. His most important work was a book titled the Experimental Researches on the Causes and Nature of Catarrhus aestivus, published in 1873.

References

  1. ^ Taylor, Geoffrey and Walker, Jane (1973). Charles Harrison Blackley, 1820–1900. In Clinical Allergy, Volume 3. pp.103–108.

Further reading

  • Blackley, C. H. (1873) Experimental Researches on the Causes and Nature of Catarrhus Aestivus (Hay-Fever or Hay-Asthma). Online at the Web Archive
  • Blackley, C. H. (1880). Hay Fever: Its Causes, Treatment, and Effective Prevention. Online at the Web Archive
  • Portrait of Blackley, and associated metadata