Clemens Peter Pirquet Freiher von Cesenatico was born on May 12, 1874. He was a pioneer in pediatrics and was particularly interested in the treatment of infectious diseases. In the course of his research, he discovered, among other things, that vaccinations can trigger hypersensitivity reactions. By describing these reactions, which he called allergies, he founded allergology. He also advocated preventative health measures, which he promoted in popular science lectures. To improve infant nutrition, he developed the “NEM (food-unit-milk) nutrition system”, which served as the basis for infant feeds.
Despite being nominated several times, Pirquet was never shortlisted by the Nobel Committee as some of his theories were highly controversial.
