The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1880-09-09
HAY-FEVER.


The next annual meeting of the United States
Hay-Feyer Association, of which Mr.. Mark
Richards Muekle, of Philadelphia, is President
is TO be held at bethlehem, n. H., on the 3Ist Of
August. The Committee on Scientific Facts
consisting of DIR. Morris Wynan of Cambridge
Mass; Messrs NJ. Richards Muckle and Z. W.
Holmes, of Philadelphia; DIR. Arthur Holbrook,
of Milwaukee, Wis; DIR. o. n. Baldwin, of
Montgomery, Ala; and Prof W. ii. Parker of
Middlebury, Nt.,-have prepared a report for
presentation to the society, from which we take
the following: ''Autumnal catarrh, there is
reason TO believe, must have been very rare in
New England, fifty years ago. From that time
il pretty steadily increased until il attracted the
attention of isolated persons, who saw in it,
however, only a cold Of unusual severity at an
unusual season for colds. 1t was not until long
after that its annual character was noticed,
partly from the few cases, and also perhaps be-
cause the disease was NJ first mild,
let fever at Kingston, Mass, in 173J-its first
appearance in America-and 81 of several other
diseases In lS5i when the reporter made il n
subject of his lectures in Harvard University, il
was looked upon as a medical curiosity which
few would ever See Even in 1866, after a paper
had been published of a more popular character,
intended to draw attention to the disease and
its means of relief, 10 not thought worth
while for its accommodation of the sufferers, to
keep open the White Mountain hotels longer
than suited the convenience of the summer
pleasure-seekeTs. From that time, it became
more generally known; more facts col
leeted and published in the first essay on
the subject in 1S72. There is abundant reason
TO believe that the number of eases has in
creased, but it is hard to say how much, for it is
difficult TO assign the proper value to increased
knowledge, and the consequently larger pro-
portion reported, and that due to increased pop
ulatiOn.
The first person who is known to have been
relieved by a change of residence to an elevated
region was n lady from Lynn, Mass. She had
suffered severely, especially in the asthmatic
stage. She accidentally noticed, in 1s53, while
travelling in the White Mountain region, that
her catarrh, which, for twelve years, commenced
August 30, failed to make its appearance. The
following year she visited the same region, be-
fore the usual time of attack, with the hope of
escaping If. She did escape it, and her annual
visits, for the remaining ten years of her life,
were attended by the same happy result. In
1851, two years earlier, Daniel Webster went to
the White Mountains for its invigorating nfiu-
ence when exhausted by his labors at Washing
ton. His attacks were due August %. August
% he writes: AS yet l do not sneeze nor
my eyes affected. Ii has not stayed away so
long before September :, again: Il have
been able to keep off the catarrh far In
the afternoon of that day he went to Boston,
and the next day the catarrh attacked him.
Mr.. Webster evidently escaped his enemy in the
White Mountains. but missed the discovery that
he escaped it by visiting them. Mr.. Jacob 1ior-
ton, of NewbuTyp0rt, Mass, who died in lS76, at
the age of -, was more fortunate he discovered
that fact in l>6D. This publicly made
known at the time and i'll the manner already
referred 10, and sOou numbers resorted TO the
same region for relief. of those who thus sought
relief IN the mountains, most obtained il, but
not all, for all places in this region not
equally safe.
"Long and varied experience with numerous
individuals has proved that the Glen, GOrham,
Randolph, jefferson, Whitefeld, bethlehem Vii
lage, the White Mountain Notch, Twin Mountain
House. the high level about Franconian Notch,
are all within the limits of safety. Other eleya-
ted tracts are safe. Mount Marshfeld, at Stowe,
VT, and the Adirondacks particularly safe;
also, the Ohio and Pennsylvania Plateau, in
Gliding the high range Of southern Counties in
New York. from the Catskill Mountains to the
western border Of the State, the plateaus in
these countries having an elevation of :, 900 feet
above the sea. The valleys Of the rivers and
lakes of the same State at n lower level, are not
safe. The Island of Mackinaw, and the country
north of the great lakes in Canada, and beyond
the Mississippi ut st. Paul, Mimi, have a GER
tain immunity, but not equal to that of the
Lake Superior region. Farther west are large
tracts which may he resorted TO. South, the
Allegheny Mountains, at Oakland, and other
elevated points, and Iron Mountain, on the Ten
nessee and North Carolina line, unusually
free. To the east, the elevated interior of Maine,
and its extensive lakes, afford both pleasure and
safety. Mount Desert is not free, but some of
the islands about it are thought to give relief.
If the coast is preferred, the whole coast
east of the st. John, thence quite around to Lab
radOr, is open to the subjects of autumnal
tarrh. Sufferers who actually pitch their tents
in these favored regions, u general rule, not
only escape their enemy, but may find them
selves at the end of the month with vigor
that nothing but living under canvas seems to
give.
1.-The limits of the exempt region are often
narrow and very sharply defined. A lady quite
well at Bethel, in the White Mountain district,
200 feet elevation, experienced attack after
ride to Albany, but six miles distant, and only
few feet lower So a ride from Peterborough,
in Madison County, the New York plateau,
to Chittenango Falls, GOO feet lower and about
ten miles away, was followed by an attack.
Chemung County, also in New York, affords
its highlands, as a general rule, exemption,
but Elmira, in the same County, in the Che
mung Valley, affords relief. by overlook
ing such facts, sufferers often fall into grave
errors, TO the great disappointment of their
hopes.r