anaphylaxis

Term: anaphylaxis

Origin: Anc Greek  

ανά/ana(=prefix before verbs meaning “upon”. “toward”, “ against”) 

+φύλαξις/phylaxis(=quarding, protection)

Anaphylaxis is opposite to the Greek word προφύλαξις/prophylaxis (=protection)

Coined:

The term “anaphylaxis” was coined by Nobel prize recipients Portier and Richet ( 1) in 1902, when they described a dog that had tolerated a previous injection of jellyfish toxin but reacted with bronchial spasm, cardiorespiratory arrest  and finally death after 14 days later with  a smaller toxin dose.(Portier MM, Richet  C.R.Soc Biol, 54;170, 1902)

Definition

An induced systemic or generalized allergy (overreacting to allergens).