New Britain herald., 1925-08-14
Your Health How to Keep It.
 Causes of Illness
BY DIR. HUGH S. CUMMING surgeon General United states Pub
 lie Health Service.

lie Health Seryice. Hay fever is a catarrhal affection of the mucous membrane of the up- per respiratory tract. It is q Condt ton of hypersensitiveness to pollen protcins and is produced primarily by the breathing in of wind borne pollens,
 The development of hay fever about having time led to the belief that hay was the cause of this con dition and it was not until 1870 that the relation of pollen to hay fever was established.
 Investigators are now largely agreed that while there are many plants whose pollen may cause hay fever when applied 10 the nostrils, cnIy those polens which float in the air and can reach tine nostrils in the course of all normal breathing are responsible for thIs condition.
 It appears also that hay fever in different individuals varies not only in degree but also Ill the character of the scnsitivity. Although wind borne pollen is so widely distributed that the muCus membranes of every person come in contact with it. yet only those who are sensitized de Velop hay fever.
 Also, there are people who are sensitive to the pollen of the rag weed and are not sensitive to the lrollen of grasses. Other people re- act to the pollen of wormwood but are not sensitive to the pollen of grasses and rag weed. There are still others who react in various de- grees to all of th' SC pollens,
 Since the fact is now generally well established that hay fever is caused by the breathing in of wind borne pollens only. certain flowers and plants hitherto considered on the hay fever blacklist may now be Irestored to popular favor
 Those plants and flowers which iare pollenated by certain insects, such as the goldenrod. the honey euckle, the lily of the valley, the daisy the chrysanthemum and the tose, are no longer considered to be important causativo factors in hay fever The disturbing groups, which ! may he found all ever the United States, arc trees, grasses, goose-tootS amaranth7, docks, rag weeds and wormwOods,
 The type of hay fever which be gins in April ami extends through May, June and July IS probably caused principalv by pollens of inc grasses. Tn the east. red top IS particularlv timothy and June grass In the middle west. June grass and sweet vornal grass are the principal hal forer producers during these months
 Summer hay foyer, which heElns in Junc and extends through July and August. to September. is caused largely by tho goose-focts. docks and amaranths. Thcsa groups are minor causes of hay fever in many states but are important rrnural causes of hay fever in some
 The type Of hay fever which he gins in August and continues until tha first frcst is caused largely by the rollcn from the rag weed, which is found in ne7rly all ssctlels ot the country east Of Nana7s although 1T tho southwest the amaranth Erour again is the principal cause of fall hay fever.
 Investigations would tend 10 sho" that tho most so5crc cases Of spring hay fever occurring in inc eastern mart Of the countrv arr caused large lv hy inc pollen ot timothy. II has raan estimated that hetN"en so and go per cont of the cases of hay teV- cr that occur in the east are caused in tho spring by the pollen o' tim othy and in in" tall hy the pollen oi rag weed.
 Whom we realize tho very conS1d- erablo number of people affected with hay fever and th" gro1t suffer ing which 1t entails We Can aUpre- rI3t. the importance of ccncartcd of- forts to prevent thls dis"as2, The first important step in the work oi prevention is the education of the public in the responsibility of the nol1ons of certain weeds for causing hay rcvcr When the public real izos that tho common weeds are inc rausp of suffering to many people who may be living al a distance if will view those weeds from q new anglo and will make use of ono ot | the many ways of destroying them or at least preventing them from reaching the stage of pnllcnation. READ THE HERALD CLASSIFIED