History of Urticaria

The history of urticaria represents a fascinating account of man’s gradually increasing understanding of medicine as such, and of the unique clinical features of the pathomechanisms of urticaria in particular. Over many centuries, the prevailing view of medical thinking on the cause of diseases has led to the evolution of theories that were to explain also the causes of urticaria and its possible treatment. The following pages give a very brief account of these theories and developments, since they form the background on which our current knowledge and our search for a better understanding of urticaria is based.