Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-08-29
ALL ABOUT HAY FEVER.
FACTS CONCERNING THIS SINGU-
LAR AlLMENT AND ITS CAUSE.
Flowers and Grasses Bring ON Fits of
Sneezins in Some Persons = The Cat
Asthma and the Troubles Caused by
Other Animals.

Asthma and the Troubles Caused by
Other Animals.
The popular term hay fever gives but an
inadequate idea of curious complaint, the
very existence of which was not fully recog-
nized till the beginning Of the present CEN
fury, when Dr.. John Bostock published an
account of bis own symptoms and suferings
| At that time it was dimly regarded as sort
of fanciful hypochondriacal affection, Of
which those who had little or nothing to do
became the subject; but cases have of late
years been frequently recorded which prove
the disorder to be one Of great interest on
account Of the mystery attaching to its early
| history; its prevalsnce in al climates and
countries, and the painful pertinacity With
which it clings to its victims.
IN TIE MERRY HAVING TnE
It is caisad in Germany fruhsommer Ka-
tarrh, or early summer catarrh; and among
ourselves, hay fever or hay asthma, since
the more usual kind begins and ends with
the hay season, varying In the time Of year
during which it appears according as the
hay season is early or late. As long as the
grass is in flower, it persists; with that, it
ceases.
The complaint is, however, by no means
limited to the flowers of the field. The same
symptoms may be produced by very differ
ent causes; by sunlight, by violent exercise,
by the dust of rooms; and SO capricious are
| its ways that it is sometimes difficult to as
sign sufficient cause for its appearance.
Rose fever and rose catarrh are well
known in the United States, where the rose
is largely cultivated Peach cold Is an affec-
ton of similar nature. In India the bios
som Of the mango is said to produce it; and
| Trousseau aflirms that he always had asthma
| il he remained for a few minutes in a room
with bunch of violets. The neighborhood
/ of a privet hedge and tho pollen of the COM
mon daisy are said to have given rise to
J more inconvenience than even the scent Of
| new mown hay. We are told Of 3 lady who
| could never remain in the room with single
stalk Of Indian corn without being seized
with shortness OF breath; and an instance is
recorded Of a man that could never pass the
| shop of a certain ropemaher in his native
! town without suffering from aSthUatic symp-
tonf, presumably owing to the dust from
the fax.
Cullen speaks OF the case of a men who was
seized with fits of sneezing whenever rice was
thrashed in the neighborhood Of his house;
and the effect of ipecacuanha dust is well
known to hospitalseryants. Medical students
have declared that they are attacked with
shortness of breath if a bottle OF ipecacuanha
powder is merely opened in the room where
| they are, and that in none Of them does asth-
ma occur under any other circumstances; no
other irritant will produce 1t. 1t is related
| that the wife of an apothecary was seized
with asthma whenever ipecacuelha root was
no no
pened to be in another part Of the house at
the time. People insensible to ipecacuanha
will experience the same sensations from lin
! seed, mustard OF scarlrnony; and an epidemic
of sneezing was traced to the use Of bitter
apple which had been powdered over a variety
OF articles as a preventive of moth. Scents Of
all kinds may induce asthInatic attacks, and
thundery weather provokes them.
| An American writer has remarked that
the complaint is patrician, occurring mainly
amongst those in high rank and social posi-
ton, or who are eminent for mental and
| literary attainments. Divines, poets, medi-
cal men and ladies of fashion are included
in the list OF examples. It is certainly a
corroborating fact that farmers and field
laborers, who are of necessity exposed to
the influence Of pollen, rarely suffer from it,
| position, which mental culture induces;
whilst it is more simply explained that they
| are rendered insusceptible to the action of
| grasses By constant exposure to their inhu-
ence.
AsTHSA FROM ANIMALS.
Similar suferinss to those produced By
vegetable eiiiuvia occur from contact with
many animals DR.. Hyde Salter, in MS
valuable work on asthma relates that he has
met with many cases In which the efluviuIn
from horses, wild beasts, guinea pigs, cattle,
dogs, rabbits and hares would Immediately
give rise to paro1ysIa. One of his patients
always had q ft of asthma brought on by the
presence Of horses He was the proprietor CT
an equestrian establishment, and YVES ghere-
fore always asthmatic; but he had no sus-
picion of the real cause CT his symptoms till
he made his fortune and retired from bust
ness, when he almost Immediately lost them.
| Cat asthma, from nursing cat or kitten,
| closely resembles hay fever, and the paror-
ysms are even more violent The influence
seems to be stronger in kittens from two
months old and UPWARDS than in full grown
cats; but after the removal of the cause the
symptoms very quickly suSside. Some
people are attacked with sneeZing in the
presence OF all animals.
There is 10 invention or imagination or
e1aggeration in these things, and what may
be an irritant to one class of estimates
may not be in tho leust 50 to another. Ono
person is obliged to expatriate himself in the
hay season; another cannot endure the scent
OF flowers; another cannot sleep on down
pillow, or use mustard in any shape, or pass
q poulterer's shop Even the sunlight is ter
rible TO some inveterute sneezerS.
A sudden fright may induce a ht Of
asthma, or on the contrary, may cure il;
indeed, a cure By violent emotion is more
sudden and complete than b. any other
remedy. : Confirmed asthmattc states that
once when he was suffering from an IN
usually severe attack, so bad that he had
been unable 10 speak or move all day, he
was suddenly alarmed By the illness of a
relative. he ran down two fights Of stairs
and up again, administered the restoratives
he had procured, and then oossryed, 10 his
establishment, that lis asthma was g0nel
Another sufferer relates that DC was IN bed
breathing with the GREATEST difficulty, and
unable 70 move, when a fire broke out oF-
posite bis house. When the excitement vas
over. he found that be had been standing
with Others loolin, ont OF the window, and
that he had forgotten all about his asthmx-
Chambers Journal.
YaIe's Wooden Spoon Celebration.
A correspondent wishes 20 know ''in what
year the wooden spoon celebration OF Yale
college ceased L Tie last wooden spoon, which
was or.-ira..v intended for presentation %
the most pors,iq- member of class WIS con