Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-03-25

wy AsHINGTON, D. c., March 2O.-Hay
wv fever victims of this city are taking
W time by the forelock this season. A
hay fever prevention clinic has been opened
at the Women's Welfare association, and
working women who regularly sneeze
through a part of the year are looking for
ward to a sneezeless summer.
| The time to tackle hay fever, according
| to the specialist in charge of the clinic, is
! before the appointed time for sneezing ar
rives. Some sneezers are at their worst In
| August and September when pollen from
ragweed and other late blooming plants ID
| being blown about on the wind. Other hay
| feverites are attacked carry and are well
| again by July One patient at the 4Inic be-
gins to sneeze about the first Of May, proD-
| ably because of the pollen from early
grasses 1t is the aim Of the clinic doctor to
| immunize the patent now before the dead
| ly polens begin to dc their work.
The doctor at the clinic sits at a white
| table with boxes filled with rows and rows
| of small bottles before him. He llsCens car"
| fully to the history or case, and notes VIVA
| time of the year the patient begins sneezng
! and if there are any clues as to the exact
| cause Then he chooses from his collection
of bottles some eighteen filled with pol
| lens and other irrtants which might throw
| light on the case. First selected for the test
| are the usual weed pollens that are dis
| trbuted at the time of the year when the
patient is affected. Grass and tree pollens,
the doctor explains, are most often respon
sible for hay fever attacks In the spring.
In the late summer and fall ragweed ts
the wort offender. More cases of hay fever
| are due to ragweed than to any other plant
! The pollen of this weed is so light and line
| that a wind travelling 20 miles an hour will
| carry the grains five miles. Thus the pollen
| is brought into city streets from vacant lots,
weed-grown back yards, and even from the
| suburbs
GoIdenrod Myth Exploded
Goldenrod is not included in the selected
assortment of irritants. Goldenrod pollen is
heavy and is not carried by the wind Both
goldenrod and roses are regarded by sclen-
, lists as negligible factors in producing nay
fever. in spite of the popular theory that
makes these two flowers prime causes OF
hay fever attacks. Unless a patient comes In
| close contact with these plants, the pollen OIL
which is disseminated by insects, the clinic
doctor does not try the pollen as possible
cause of the disease.
Along with a dozen weed and grass pol
| lens the doctor next lays out Walls containing
other possible causes of hay fever. The Ia
bells on these are surprising We are accus-
toned to calling all sorts of seasonal asth'
matte and sneezing attacks by the term nay
fever, whether ragweed or timothy or some
other plant is the exciting cause. But 1t Is
strange to think of hay fever as being due
to cat hairs, fur, chicken feathers, rice pow
der, orris, or horse dander. Yet these are the
labels on some of the bottles chosen for the.
test.
1t is only in a comparatively few instances
that hay fever is traced to these unusual IT.
ritants The feathers in a pillow case have
| been known to cause attacks. Grains of Or
ris in face or tooth powder, or even the or
ganic matter of a fur neckpiece may, II in
! hailed by a highly sensitive nose, be the ex-
citing agent of a hay fever case.
; The doctor arranges his bottles. The pa
tient bares one arm to the elbow. The
! nurse cleanses it with alcohol, and the test
| begins.
Eighteen drops of an alkaline solution
! are placed along the arm, and then with
| a sterilized needle the doctor quickly makes
light scratch, not deep enough to draw
blood, where each drop of liquid is. A tiny
| sample of one selected irritant is then
| added to each of the eighteen drops, and
the patient settles down for twenty min
| utes to wait for the skin to react.
| Action on the Skin
| At the end of that time the arm tells
an interesting story to the specialist. Some
| of the extracts have entered their scraches
without any disturbing effect. Other pollens
have set the skin itching in protest, and
| pink we1ts have risen around these
| scratches. These are the agents to which
| the patient is sensitive. This ends act one
of the drama so far as that patient is con-
! cerned
The next time she visits the clinic, the