Charles Richet

Charles Richet (1850–1935) was a French physiologist whose experiments established anaphylaxis, a severe reaction to repeat exposure to certain substances. He received the 1913 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

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Paul Portier: A French physiologist and marine biologist who collaborated with Richet on experiments that led to the discovery of anaphylaxis. Portier worked with Richet aboard Prince Albert I of Monaco’s yacht and continued their toxin experiments.
Anaphylaxis: A potentially severe immune reaction that can occur after exposure to an allergen in a sensitized person. Richet named and experimentally characterized this reaction after repeat toxin exposure.
Prince Albert I of Monaco's yacht: The research vessel used by Prince Albert I of Monaco for oceanographic expeditions. Richet and Portier studied the effects of sea-anemone venom during an expedition aboard this vessel.
Allergy: An immune response to a normally harmless substance that can cause symptoms ranging from mild to severe. Richet’s findings helped establish that immune responses could be harmful as well as protective.
Émile Roux: A French physician and bacteriologist who helped develop diphtheria antitoxin and directed the Pasteur Institute. Roux’s antitoxin research framed the protective-immunity theory that Richet’s findings challenged.
Sensitization: An immune state in which prior exposure changes the body’s response to a later encounter with an antigen. Richet’s animals became sensitized after an initial injection, rather than protected against the toxin.
Sea anemone: A marine invertebrate related to corals and jellyfish, many species of which capture prey with stinging cells. Its venom supplied the toxin in the experiments that unexpectedly produced anaphylaxis.
Allergen: A substance that can trigger an allergic immune response in a sensitized person. Anaphylaxis is now understood as a severe reaction to particular allergens, extending Richet’s broader discovery.
Jules Héricourt: A French physician and immunologist who collaborated with Richet on early research into serum therapy and immunity. Their work on serum therapy formed part of the experimental context for Richet’s studies of repeat exposure.
Antigen: A substance recognized by the immune system that can provoke a specific immune response. The substances used in Richet’s experiments triggered the altered responses he investigated.