sensitization

[ sen-si-tuh-zey-shuhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the state or process of being sensitized.
Psychology. the process of becoming susceptible to a given stimulus that previously had no effect or significance.
Immunology.
1. a state or condition in which a previously encountered foreign substance triggers an immune reaction.
2. an immunologic state or condition that is evidenced by the acquired ability of a cell or individual to detect the presence of a foreign substance upon reexposure to the substance and to react immunologically.

First recorded in 1885–90; sensitize + -ation

Call the old tubercular diathesis a sensitization and you have made it the most modern of modern discoveries.

What if gout should prove to be a sensitization or anaphylaxis to uric acid that does not exist in the non-gouty?

In a great many cases the greater part of the discomfort is due to over-sensitization and over-attention.

Its subsequent injection at any point in the skin gives rise to a local expression of systematic sensitization.

Whether there is what may be termed a peculiar sensitization of milk following pasteurization, has not been definitely shown.

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