Evening star., 1900-08-18
THE HAY-FEVER VICTIM
ADVENTURES OF ONE SUFFERER
FROM THIS DISEASE.
While There IL Apparently No Cure
for the Malady There Are
Some Alterations.
From the Chicago Record.

sunerer from hay fever has an abnormal
| sens tiveness of the mucous surfaces or
| tissues of head and throat, but whether this
| condition be natural one or the result OF
some unknown cause it manifests its sym
| pathieS only under certain conditions.
Thirty years ago man-we will call him
Benjamin for convenience-began having
autumnal colds. growing a little more
severe with each attack. AS consumption
was in the family his friends became much
alarmed, for he grew thin and coughed
almost continually through the last half OF
August and all of September. His wife eN-
pended all her nursing skill upon him:
used cough sirups. mustard plasters and
hot teas. These all failing. she resorted TO
water treatment. in which she was firm
believer. Late in September she was called
away from home and left her husband with
great reluctance. She was away only two
weeks, but in her absence there came sew
eral sharp frosts. and when she returned
she found her husband almost well. When
she expressed her surprise and delight.
what do you think that ungrateful man
said? Yes, l am nearly well. You see,
you staid away till l got dried off and
then l was all right
The next year she left him to his ply
SlclanS, and Oh my friends, what a wilder
ness of pills and powders, sirups and squills
he was led through for the next few years.
Then they began to hear of the hay fever
anu 10 experiment IOT a cure, Dut IN spite
of tonics and sprays and patent remedies
ad intinitum. besides suffering many
things of many physicians the disease
marched on till it reached the asthmatic
stage and still holds him in its grasp.
The symptoms of hay fever as Benjamin
describes them, are in this order: 1t begins
exactly like very hard cold, except there
Is unusual sneeZfng, excessive irritation of
the eyes and nose, both watering contin-
ually, and becoming so sensitive that the
touch of the softest linen can scarcely be
endured. There is sense of great fullness,
heat and often pain in the head, ringing of
the ears and partial deafness; later the
throat and bronchial passages become af
fected and the patient coughs and expec-
torateS like a consumpttve. There Is
feverish condition of the system, with fire.
ouent chills, more or less severe, followed
by copious sweats, these last symptoms oc-
curing generally at night Altogether the
symptoms are often alarming After a few
years hay asthma sets in and is Just like
any other asthma, except il Is confined TO
the hay-fever period. There is no need TO
describe the asthmatic stage, the agonlz-
ing efforts for breath, the horrible suffo-
cation that wrings the hearts of friends 10
behold and makes the whole complaint
horror indescribable. Still, for the comfort
of all concerned it may be said these par
oXysms never end fatally. unless the pa
tient is worn out with disease or age.
Benjamin has not doubt as to the hay
fever being caused by the presence of veg
etable pollen in the air He has light
attack When the blue grass blooms IN June.
This is no doubt identical with the rose
cold so-cailed. Again, when the timothy
is in flower he has a harder siege of sneez-
ing, which lasts a week or ten days. but
never brings asthma. But when the am
brosia-commonly called ragweed-blooms
the case is serious indeed. This period
ours from about August Is till October 1,
or till froStS kill the ragweed and a rain
dashes the pollen into the ground.
One valuable remedy or alienation Ben
Jamin learned from physician. Saturated
blotting paper in a strong solution of salt
peter, dry thoroughly and when the attack
comes on burn piece of il about the size
of an ordinary blotting pad in the room,
having the doors and windows tightly
closed. 1nhaling this smoke enables the
sufferer to breathe easily in short time,
the most violent attacks of asthma giving
way before this preparation. 1t is equally
beneficial in the ordinary asthma. He has
found all other noStrumS compounded for
the same purpose useless or worse. Inhal-
ing ammonia often gives great relief, but
must be used with care.
For years he tried various places of poDu-
lar resort, but has never found relief except
by going so far north that the ragweed
does not grow or at least does not come to
perfection. Duluth and all that region is
free from vegetable pollen-at least in the
hay-fever season. Most of the lake resorts
are safe abiding places for the hay-fever
sufferers Once Benjamin went to Colorado
but found dwarf sage brush on the noun
tains that affected him just as the ragweed
does, and he was forced to retrace his
steps and go to Lake Superior. However,
he thinks had he gone above the timber
line he would have been safe in Colorado.
His experiences by plain and flood" ara
many and laughable. He is SO adverse to
being driven from home just at a stated
time that he often fingers till the enemy is
upon him and he has to fight for his life as
he flies and when obliged to use his remedy
the burning of the saltpeter paper-he has
caused great CONSERVATION in state rooms
and sleeping coaches.
Once when 81 in etro
a strange city his host was much alarmed
and asked what was the matter. He wanted
to know 'ff hay fever was catchin'" At
last, after his guest had retired the land
lord brought physician to see him, who
was not graciously received. and retired
arologizing. The next morning on in
qufring of his host for his terms by the
week for board. Benjamin received the
answer: Ten dollars week. but you must
deposit $50 to pay funeral expenses if you
die In my house" Then BENJAMIN arose in
his wrath and told his host that he thought
1t mean, contemplate thing for a hotel
to charge a man $50 just for the privilege
of dying inside its walls, assured him thar
he didn't want to die there, and surely
would not If he was spared till the next
train time, and left the surprised landlord
exclaiming: What queer disease this hay
fever is, anyway"
While Benjamin has proved that "a
merry heart doeth good like a medicine"
MS friends all see very pathetic side to
the picture: The suffering for weeks at
nome or the going into exile, often in
suffering condition, where only strangers
can minister to his needs. The enforced alb
sence from business and other weighty re-
sponsibilities makes 1t time of trial to the
cheef1est victim Of this peculiar malady
Apparently there is no cure for hay fever
unless the patient is young and the treat
ment constitutional and reconstructive
observation has taught that IL is sometimes
hereditary. The most pitiful thing lima gin
able Is to see three-months-old baby suf-
fering and scratching the tiny face in its
attempt to rub the tingling eyes and nose.
Hay fever seemingly does not tend to
shorten life. One person whom BENJAMIN
knows has reached his eightieth year and
Is in excellent health after having had hav
fever more than forty years and asthma
with 1t nearly as long. Asthma of any kind
has tendency to disturb the hearts action
and hay fever subjects often have Irregular
pulse.
While there seems to be no cure for hav
feVer, there are alleviations In the first
place, one must remember that the poison
OF the pollen acts as an irritant and n
eliminate this poison from the system
should be the object of all treatment: there
fore the more actively the system works
the better When the fever comes on keep
IL down as much as possible by bathing
and sweats: adopt any method you choose,
1af ha Stx-aa . fi,,., !,