The soul of a dragon is its ancient, secret, name. Whoever knows it, can master the beast and achieve great deeds!

Public names, although not as magical, are also important. They reflect the image and declare the function of the named. Hence name-giving has had, and occasionally still has, a prominent position among ceremonies of many peoples around the world.

This year the EAACI Executive Committee has extensively discussed and is unanimously proposing to add an extra ‘A’ to the Academy’s name, denoting the important standing of asthma within our activities. In addition it is proposed to go modern and trim ‘allergology’ into ‘allergy’.

Possibly due to my descent, I’m fascinated with the power of words, ancient Greek words that among other things, decorate our organization. However, this elementary student of semantics cannot but accept historical trends: in a world of simplifications, the weight of the “Word”, (‘logos’, or the – logy part of allergology), is not easily held anymore.

Of course it’s still there. An Academy (a gathering of wise) should go deep into the meaning of things and take them further, advancing knowledge and understanding. But would advancement be possible if revolving around a narrow scope and forgetting about the world around it?

In the magical world of allergy*, EAACI grows, changes and evolves. It is now assuming new powers, a new name. Don’t be fooled, though: the secret name, the name that cannot change, is still there and strong as ever.

* allergology that is, but did you notice ?

Nikos G. Papadopoulos