Xref: utzoo sci.med:5154 sci.bio:1145
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!osu-cis!att!att-ih!chinet!saj
From: saj@chinet.UUCP (Stephen Jacobs)
Newsgroups: sci.med,sci.bio
Subject: Re: Allergies
Message-ID: <5045@chinet.UUCP>
Date: 30 Apr 88 02:23:17 GMT
References: <1160@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu>
Distribution: na
Organization: Chinet - Chicago Public Access UNIX
Lines: 12
Summary: Are allergies connected with better sanitation?


Cliff Joslyn wondered in type whether the perception that allergies are more
common now than in former generations has any basis.  I'd like to stir that up
a bit more.  There's been speculation for some time about how humans come to
have subtantial amounts of immune system seemingly devoted to making us miser-
able (ie allergy).  One suggestion was that these mechanisms are especially
useful in combatting infection with multicellular parasites (worms, flukes, etc)
Along with this it has been suggested that modern sanitation, by protecting us
from such parasites, has allowed that portion of the immune system to lapse 
into a state where malfunctions are common.  Just an idea, and someone else's,
at that