New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1860-03-12


at the back Of the house was used az a dispensary
whence the enianations from the ipeeacuanha
penetrated to her apartments on the second. 6ooi
front
There is very distressing complaint, popuiasly
known as the kay-asthma, which affects certain
small proportion Of the population. At The season
of hay-makiHg, these individuals are suddenly
seized with what appears to be very bad indu
enza-running at the nose, sneezing, coughing
and in some cases most violent irritation OF al
the mucous surfaces, the eye-nds, and the air-pas
sages, and the nose swelling In the most sxtraordi
nary manner. We have seen individuals quite biind
for time from this cause Persons so affected car
only find relief by Immediately retreating from the
vicinity Of the hay-deids. The English Duke o.
Richmond, for instance who is particularly suscep
ble to the influence Of hay-asthma, retreats every
hay-making season to Brighton, to avoid his we'll
known enemy Floating vegetable particles Of the
seed Of the grass are the cause Of this extraordi.
nary affection. That these travel long distance
is clear, inasmuch as persons susceptible to their
shay-felds. n
We know gentleman who is rendered very un-
easy IN the hay season. when the wind is from the
north or northeast but Is quite well when it shifts
TO the west. The explanation of this circumstance
lies IN the fact that the open fields where fay ii
made lie so much nearer TO him in the former d.
reeton than In the Latter the intervening nass Of
fectant so far as his peculiar susceptibility to
hay emanations are concerned There are animal
emanations. however, which appear to affect some
almost az energetically az these vegetable ones.
The atmosphere OF cats for instance Is intoIcrable
to them. We have heard of military gentleman
who would sometimes become suddenly and yio-
lently agitated during dinner, so much 80 that his
speech LETT him, and he seemed the verge on an
apoplectic seizure His friends, however knew
what this meant. and Immediately began searching
for the cat, which was sure to be found in some
part of the room, although before unobseryed To
other individuals the presence of rabbits is equally
obnoxious; they seem to catch cold merely from
going them, and all their symptoms are great
ly augmented if they happen to stroke them down.
We have lately heard of two individuals OF the
same family who are affected in the same manner
from the same cause. Some people we know can
not sit in the same room with cheese others are
obliged to retire before the presence of cooked
hare.
Mr.. Num-, one of the surgeons of the Middle
sex Hospital, who has given some very curious in
stances Of idosyncracies with respect 70 food and
medicine, in the British Medical Journal states that
he has found that honey-comb has produced in q
patient swelling of the tongue, frothing of the
mouth, and blueness of the fingers that figs pro
duced formication of the palate and fauces, anl
that the dust of split peas have the effect, upoI
some persons, Of hay-fever. A very singular ex
ample related by him of the effect of touen, is tina
of gentleman who could not endue the sensation
produced by the handling of russell apple. W,
the excitabilitity Of the epidermis. For instance
q lady who Immediately cries Involuntary on th
addition of any mineral acid to the water in which
she is bathing her feet; and of a gentleman il
whom a severe attack of spasmodic asthma is i'm
mediately induced by the application of cold waite
to his instep.
We have hitherto dwelt merely upon certain lido
syncratic susceptibilities to certain articles o
medicine, food and animal emanations. The dis
case, spasmodc asthma, Just alluded to- as to il
off is tn ms Uoftb oan LOT.
that there can be no doubt they arise from com
mon cause irritating particles floating in the air
or atmospheric influences. A man goes to be-
perfectly well, and awakens in the night with
difficulty of breathing, which threatens to sufocats
him; alter while it goes off, hut if he remains il
the same place he is always liable to o recurrence
of the fit DR.. Hyde Salter, who has devoted mucf
attention to this capricions disease, gives it as hi
experience that change of air. as in hay-asthma i:
the only cure for this distressing complaint. As
general rule, those persons who are affected in
pure country air, invariably find relief, or rather
complete immunity from attack, in the moist all
of dense cities, whilst city estimates will become
instantly well in the dry, pure air of the country
DR.. Salter relates most singular couple of cases
illustrative of this extraordinary capriciousness
One patient could only breathe in Norwood, the
other in London. If the one who could live at
Norwood attempted to go to London he was in.
variably stopped by seizure of asthma at Cam.
berwell Green. If, on the other hand the patient
who was exempt in London, attempted to 60 to
Norwood, he found Camherwell Green the limit d
his journey-if he passed this his enemy imme
their joint difficulty, and will remain to the end
Many persons who come up from the country TO
the best advice for this complaint, find that il
town they suddenly lose their asthma, and ar
somewhat disappointed that they cannot sho,
| their doctors the effect of a fit upon them.
| In many cases, however, they learn that th
| true doctor is city air-the worst city air more
| over, is generally the best for them. There ar
more extraordinary instances of idiosYncratic sus
capabilities on the part of the ATTITUDES Of som
| persons than even those examples would imply
| For Instance, some estimates can live at the to-
of street in perfect health, whilst at the bottom
of the same street they seem to be at the last gasp
We happened to know OF a patient, who is NOR
dead than alive at the top of certain street, blu
reeovers Immediately at the bottom of the same
and DR.. Watson tells us that he had an asthmat
patient who could sleep very well in a particular
hotel, but could never rest for minute, accoun
of the asthma, in another in the same town.
Some estimates, with air-tubes more capriciou
and difficult to please than ordinary make it thu
business of their lives to travel about in search o
the air best suited to them. Thus, in their wander
ings, they experience every conceivable degree o
evaporation of, or exemption from, their disease
possibly in some lovely spot, where the patien
would willingly abide as in an earthly Eden, tn
asthma suddenly and rudely grips him by tn
throat, and bids him depart or die Journeyin
onward he may happen to come upon some bar
rem ridge, or possibly upon that Plutonic region
known as the !" Black Country Here the patien
would hurry onward with horror and alright, bn
suddenly his tyrant nterposes This air suits him
it imperiousy cries, and here the slave of irritable
mucous membrane is but too glad to end his pill
grimage--compoundin with drearY scenery and
savage people, for the perfect freedom of drawing
the breath of life.
The RICE CRoP.-The Charleston Mercury says
that the Carolina rice crop is very large one
The whole present Southern crop has rarely beer
exceeded either in quantity orquality. But this does
not imply that rice will be cheap, for throughout
all the East, from India to the Pacific, the crop is
failure. The deficiency in the supply is calculated
to be one.third.