In 1930 the Asthma Research Club was formed by a group of distinguished clinicians, by 1948 the society had been renamed the British Association of Allergists; and in 1962 it changed its name yet again to the British Allergy Society. Under the careful guidance of such distinguished members as Dr Bill Frankland, Professor Jack Pepys and Sir Cyril Clarke, interest in allergy amongst both clinicans and scientists grew. In the 1970s there was an explosion of interest in the immunological mechanisms of allergic disease and a need was perceived for widening the Society's scope and Clinical Immunology was incorporated into the title. Thus the BSACI was born in 1973. The BSACI's main objective throughout its existence is to improve the management of allergies and related diseases of the immune system in the United Kingdom, though education, training and research. As allergy embraces many subspecialties in medicine, the BSACI decided to set up special interest groups with a remit to promote understanding of the contribution of Allergy to diseases within these disciplines and thus improve management.