The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-07-22
AIMING ATTACK At
CAUSE Of HAY FEVER
Legislators Asked to Pass Laws for
Destruction OF Disease-spread-
ing Weeds.

Good news for sufferers from hay
fever Is found in a plan launched to
make the prevention Of that disease
national as we'll as d state and local
problem.
In a bulletin that has Just reached
the state board OF health, DIR. William
Scheppergrell. president Of the Ameri-
can Hay Fever Prevention association.
and chief of the hay fever clinic at tha
Charity hospital, New Orleans, dis
cusses the causes OF the disease and
outlines what he considers As the i'm
mediate measures that ought TO be
taken to bring relief. Among other
things, DR.. Scheppergrell says:
There is no preventable disease OF
serious Importance that has received
so little attention as hay fever AL
though ranking as one of The most
common OF the non fatal diseases, IL
Is only recently that any organized eff
forts have been made for It's preven-
ton.
Records show that about per cent
of the population of the United States
Is subject to hay fever. so that the
number. about one million is sufficient
to demand the most earnest consider
alton.
The serious effect of hay fever Is
not we'll understood From one to
two months and sometimes much long
er. the patient suffers from symptoms
which depress his vitality and lower
his energy, Asthma and bronchitis
are complications in large number
Of cases We have had two cases of
hernia from violent sneezing, one
case Of mastoiditis and other compii-
cations of minor Importance. Marked
nervous depression is common among
hay fever sufferers.
"A bout 80 per cent of the fall cases
Of hay fever In the Eastern and South
ern states are due to the common and
giant rag weeds, the remainder being
due TO the cookie bur, marsh elder
and a few other weeds. The golden
rod roses and rosin weed, associated
with hay fever in the public mind.
are not responsible. Vernal hay fever
is due principally to the pollen of the
grasses. in addition to that of certain
weeds. Only In certain localities are
the pollens from trees responsible.
The remedy evidently Is the con-
troll OF weeds. AS It is impracticahi0
to destroy all weeds. it is important
to know the distance to which their
pollen may be carried. One mile ID
sufficient protection from most OF tho
pollens that cause early hay fever.
The common rag weed, however.
should be excluded to at least fiva
miles from populated areas.
Legislation for the effective pre-
vention of hay fever should include
municipal. state and federal laws. Civ
ordinances should not only be enacted
against weeds. but should specify that
when the property holder does not cut
his weeds. the city may have the work
done al his expense
State laws should specify that land
vx-trS AsrN ffA - ,ft - so
be allowed to reach the pollinating
stage. and, In the case or rag weeds,
this distance should be five miles.
The real solution of the hay fever
problem, however. Is within the pow.
err of the federal government. Il
farmers should be compelled TO -.
stroy hay fever weeds on their farms,
the result would not only be an enof-
nous reduction of such weeds, Int
would also be of great benefit to the
farmer. as the United States depart
ment of agriculture has repeatedly
shown that millions of dollars are lost
annually from the neglect of weeds.
When we realize the great amount
OF suffering that may be prevented.
and the great Improvement In the Of
f1ciency of our agricultural methods
that would be effected by the samA
means, the enactment of such lawn
should be strongly urged by all those
interested in relieving mankind from
the oppression Of this distressing d..
ease"