The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1874-11-25
HAY FEVER
A Capital Article on the Disease
by One who " Nose" all
About Tic.
To the Editor of the MOrristOwn GAZETTE:

Llon wish 10 lmpaFt mite OF scientific
information. Notwithstanding | write
on a scientific topic, do not desire to
darken the understanding by technical
phraseology, even if were able to COM
mand it ever so fiuently, but which I
freely confess total ignorance. only
desire, in plain manner, to tell ''what
I know about hay fever"
There exists disease, known to the
medical world, and but little known to
others, save few unfortunate victims,
called hay fever. Did you ever hear of
it? Doubtless you have not. Well, there
is nothing strange in your ignorance of
this name; nothing to reproach yourself
for in your want of knowledge on this
subject. Your correspondent, though a
sufferer from its annual visitations for
several years, was only last year QS73)
enlightened by having the name of hay
fever sounded in his ear. The sound of
it in the nose and eyes, as before indi-
Gated, was very familiar to me-
Mr. Webster, in his unabridged die
tionary, failed to record and define this
kind of fever; and so did Mr. Worcester
Nevertheless, there is such a fever. Al
though medical men themselves con-
found the term with hay asthma, and
some prefer to cali the disease the au-
tumnal catarrh "Odds is the differ
ence," and there is a great odds and a
considerable difference. Hay fever, if
the Court understands herself" differs
in many particulars from everything else
in the way of disease to which flesh is
heir.
Hay fever attacks a few individuals,
who are subject to it in this locality, ev-
cry year on or about the Goth of August,
and usually continues with them for
eight weeks, or until frost, with what
is common to most invalids, a we'll day
and sick day, or what would be far more
proper, bad day and a worse day. This
disease begins with violent sneezing,
ranging from twelve to twenty times at
a sitting, standing or laying, caused by
irritation of the mucus membrane. The
sneezing repeats itself during the day
several times, until the subject has at
tanned his fiftieth or one hundredth
sneeze, in the eight hours allotted for
labor. Throughout the entire eight
weeks there is almost constant dis
charge from the nose, and if this is
worse at any one time than another, it is
when you want to eat your meals, or
when any one wants to converse with
you, especially if it be one with whom
you are not very we'll acquainted, or
when you would like ever so much to go
to sleep.
Hay fever affects not only the nose and
breathing apparatus, but also cOmmuni-
Gates an etching irritation to the eyes,
causing them to become infiamed, as if
suffering from sore eyes. 1t turns those
orbs as properly red, )" so to speak, as if
you had been on an old corn whisky
bender for fortnight previous.
Persons who never suffer from this
disease, and who in consequence know
nothing about tive might mention the
physicians in this class, but we forbear,
hoping they will yet, ere long, shed the
luster of acquired knowledge, and be en-
abled to afford relief, if not TO effect a
eure-insist, when you are annoyed with
it, that you only have bad cold, and that
summer colds are worse than colds in the
winter time, and just know that you can
be cured in little time by using little
sasafras tea, or ditney, or bone-set, or
castor oil, symphyx, Bateman's drops,
GOdfrey's cordial, Mrs. Winslow's s sooth-
ing syrup, Hart's Relief, Fahnistock's s
Vermifuge, or whisky stew and sweat,
or something else of a thousand and one
panaceas, known only to them singly,
will surely do the deed and cure the cold.
In vain you protest that you have tried
all these and many other simple and com
pound remedies unknown to them, and
far more vainly do you protest to them
that this hay fever Is no ordinary cold,
and explain to them that it differs as
widely from a cold as a pin scratch does
from a sabre cut, as tOoth-ache from
sciatcu, or as a stone-bruise pimple from
a gum-boil. They almost invariably
grow indignant and ask if "you reckon
don't know what bad cold is?" Oi
course they know, but you also g reckon
very properly that they know nothing
whatever about hay fever, and God send
they never may, from personal expert
ence.
Some quite noted persons have beer
afflicted with this disease. / will men
ton Mr.. Helmbolt, who recommends the
use of quinine, and adds that this, in
some measure, enabled him to go out in
to the bright sunshine with less fear Ot
sneexing. It is said that Grace Green
wood suffers from this disease, and pays
an annual visit to Colorado on account
of the very annoying trouble. For th'
same reason, Mr.. Beecher seeks the higf
grounds OF the White Mountains every
year. The altitude seems to furnish thr
October atmosphere, in which he remains
until the eight weeks are past
The opinion is expressed that this dis
ease is more apt to attack persons of lit
erary habits than Others. How this may
be cannot telL One thing is certain
if resigning my literary honors would
cause this troublesome disease to depar
l would most gladly lay down my per
with as firm an affirmation as is known
to the Friends not to take up the sword
Hay fever Is always worse when fh'
sun shines brightest. Then sneezinl
that hurts, and eye irritation that itchel
and smarts, in one blended waterg red
ness, attest his brightness When cioudl
and colder weather and frost comes, thel
comes relief and cure.
The mucus discharges from the nos,
has frequently been examined unde
powerful magnifying glasses by Mr.
Helmbolt, and others-or so claimed
and declared by all TO contain astonish
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