Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1922-02-01
PERSONAL HEALTH SERVICE
BY William Brady, NJ. D.
Noted PhysiciaD and Alahor.
ERg Asthma.

Subjects of true spasmodic bron-
chial asthma. which is severe diff
Guilty in breathing occurring at ir-
or constant difficulty In breathing,
are wont to blame our old friend
tho weather or climate consider
ably. 1t is quite as reasonable to
assume that weather. climate or at
mospheric conditions generally may
have q bearing on the precipitating
factor in asthma as 1t is to think
acter of the climate has some infiu-
ence on ones temperamental beha-
vior. but that Is as far as the weather
or climate should go In the premises.
"A friend of mine has asthma"
writes q reader. He AYERS he never
near a cat. think this idea about
cats is largely Imagination. However.
I am open to conviction II the idea
Is corroborated by reliable or COM
petent physician"
Here Is an instance from recent
scientific essay on asthma by DR..
Warfield T. Longcope Of New York:
In one OF our ESTIMATES. boy
aged six, violent cutaneous reactions
(that 10 to skin tests) were OBJ
tanned to the serums of many domes-
tic animals. 1t was thought. there
caused BY inhalation of the hairs
and epidetmal dust from dogs and
cats. Even though he was treated most
carefully from this point of view.
the asthma was not relieved. A fur
Their study showed that he gave a
skin reaction, though only after in
tradermal injections" Chat is injec-
ton into. not under. the skin. rather
than mere application of the protein
solution to a scratch) Ito white of
egg. Eggs were. therefore. elimi-
mated from his diet. and the asthma
ceased Immediately. He was then
treated by the feeding Of dried egg
one milligram" approximately one
sixtieth of a grain) land increasing
gradually until he took one cooked
egg a day. He has been able now
for four years to eat an egg daily
without temperance OF the asthma
To be sure, the inhalation of cat
Seizure in an Individual who happens
to- be sensitized to that particular
protein. and there is nothing mag
mary about such an attack. Dogs,
chickens or their feathers. geese
feathers Gas in feather pillows),
horses, parrots, canary birds and
may excite asthma. Physicians nova
days test individuals for the peculiar
sensitization which renders them sus-
ceptible to these accidental or casual
protein poisons, not alone in asthma
but in hay fever there the skin tests
are made with pollen extracts from
various plants, to determine the spe-
ciflc pollen responsibility.
1t is a common history. according
to DR.. Longcope. In asthma cases,
that as child the patient has &C.
zema, possibly associated with at
tacks OF hives. Hives is certainly
! excited by this peculiar poisoning of
the sensitized or susceptible individ-
ual with some simple protein sub
stance in food or from some ex-
ternal sources as in asthma Again,
the patient may have had hay fever
at puberty or Whereabouts. which
grew a little worse annually and
finally merged into characteristic
seizures of bronchial or spasmodic
asthma. Sometimes it is learned that
the patient in infancy vomited the
first egg white and was invariably
upset by egg, so that egg was omit
ted, but a few years later eczema
or hives occurred. when minute guam
titles of egg we're taken unwittingly,
as in cake, salad dressing, ice cream
~ Somo other dish