"Perhaps the earliest report of allergic disease is that of King Menses of Egypt, who was killed by the sting of a wasp at some time between 3640 and 3300 BC. Another report from ancient history is that of Britannicus, the son of the Roman Emperor Claudius. He was allergic to horses and "would develop a rash and his eyes swelled to the extent that he could not see where he was going". Accordingly, the honour of riding at the head of the young patricians fell to Nero who was Claudius’s adopted son. Nero allegedly threw Christians to the lions and killed Britannicus. Sir Thomas More gives the next authoritative account of allergy: King Richard III used his allergy to strawberries to good effect in arranging the judicial murder of Lord William Hastings. The King surreptitiously ate some strawberries just prior to giving an audience to Hastings and promptly developed acute urticaria. He then accused Hastings of putting a curse on him, an action that demanded the head of Hastings on a plate."
From Auckland Allergy Clinic
Early records of Anaphylaxis
"Professor Charles Robert Richet, Nobel Prize Winner for Medicine and Physiology in 1913, for the discovery of anaphylaxis. With his versatile personality he was involved in many different fields. His investigative work included diverse themes such as respiration, digestion, epilepsy and the regulation of body heat. To him we owe three new words, and as such, three new concepts: anaphylaxis, polypnea and zoomotherapy."
From National Libary of Medicine