Names are important and name changes are likely to provoke passion amongst those who have ownership. It is therefore encouraging that the EAACI executive has opened up the debate amongst members before the annual general meeting in Barcelona. My view is that the term ‘Allergology’ is an antiquated, anachronistic and unnecessary mouthful. ’Allergy’ more broadly represents the activities of our society in areas outside scholarly research, including education, professional training, governance, standards of care, guidelines, networking and generally having fun –  ‘allergology’ doesn’t sound much like fun does it? I am also comfortable with the addition of an extra ‘A’ to highlight the important contribution that allergists make to the care of asthma sufferers. However, my background is respiratory medicine and I look forward to hearing whether those valued members who are skin, nose and eye docs and nurses are also comfortable with the extra ‘A’.

Stephen Durham
Allergist, London UK.