The northwestern bulletin., 1923-08-25
Health Talk

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II you are one Of those persons
whose nose and upper respiration
tract is sensitive to the pollen of the
numerous weeds now beginning to
flower-"this" Ito paraphrase the
CLASSIFY sis the season of your dis
content" Watery Redeemed eyes, a
moist and troublesome nose and
many a sneeze will be your portion
until the heaven sent frost comes and
destroys the aggrayating agent which
is the cause Of your woes.
To the sufferer from the disease
we need say no more, to convey to
him the fact that we are speaking
of Hay fever"
Hay fever, or autumnal catarrh, is
caused by the pollen. that dust-like
substance by which the rag-weed. the
golden-rod and other plants fertilize
their seed.
Not every one, fortunately. is sus-
ceptible to the adverse action of this
pollen, but those who are, will tell
you that there is no condition more
ennevating and exasperating than
this diseases, hay fever.
The nose and upper air passage of
these people contain a substance
which dissolves the toxin of the pol
len and by so doing causes the in
flamation of the membranes with
its concommitant symptoms of red
dening, crying. sneezing. This sus-
ceptibility is hereditary and may be
passed down from one generation to
the next. Also persons who have an
obstruction in the nose, as spur or
an enlarged turbinate, will be more
easily affected than one whose nose
is in a normal healthy condition.
The pollen, which causes all this
distress, is in the air during the
Towering season of the autumnal
weeds. and is breathed in by every
one, but only those who have the
hereditary susceptibility, or who
have some condition In the nose or
throat which interferes with the
normal healthy breathing. will be af
fected by it.
The symptoms are familiar to all,
but it may not be generally known
that asthma Of q most distressing
type may follow the breathing of
this same pollen.
When such Is the case it means
that the lining membrane of the air
passages in the lung have become
sensitive to the pollen, just as the
nose and eyes are.
Many treatments have been ad-
vanced for this disease to be en-
Enthusiastically received, tried and at
last abandoned, and we have yet to
find specific or remedy which we
know will cure hay fever.
To the susceptible ones our advice
is to avoid the neighborhood or flow
ering weeds, keep the windows tight
ly closed, or better to go to some
climate where the weeds do not
grow. Usually to remove few miles
from all these weeds will be sufficient
to avoid the attacks.
Much has been written lately OF
the serum treatment for hay fever.
but as a general rule we cannot
promise absolute freedom from the
attacks even after using the serum.
Dunbar, with his "pollantin,"
recomends the serum to be placed
in the eye and sprayed in the nose
and throat every morning before we
come in contact with the pollen-bear-
ing outer air. He was able to pre-
vent the attack in some Of his cases.
but in others his treatment had no
effect. In fact, through over dosage,
some were even made worse.
Later Wright of London and
Koessler attempted to immunize the
hay fever victim by giving progress
SlVety larger ooSSo W . tS'
tract, by injection under the skin.
They report some success with this
method, but state that the treatment
must be begun for at least 80 days
before the attack is due, and must be
kept up at regular intervals until
after the hay fever season.
Koessler warns us that any solu-
ton which is more than 8 to 10 days
old is of no benefit in the prevention
of hay fever, but on the other hand
may deteriorate and become actually
harmful in its effect.
STATE OF MINNESOTA, COUNTY OP
Ramsey, SIS. In Probate Court.