Author Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1917 Excerpt:...the last few years a very large number of cases of hay fever, some hundred or so. As you know, Dunbar, Wright, and others worked on the subject. I think that we were the first to demonstrate that it is possible to immunize against the autumnal form of hay fever by injecting extracts of the pollens of ragweed and goldenrod. We test cases by the ophthalmic and the cutaneous reactions. To those who would like to see a demonstration, I may say that I happen to be susceptible to ragweed and can thus far show the tests on myself. The treatment is successful in 30 to 40 per cent of individuals when they are immunized against the particular form of pollen to which they are sensitive. The group reactions of pollen are very interesting. The GranienacesB and Composite are the two most important families, the pollens of which give reactions. In the Composite, ragweed and goldenrod are closely related and the dandelion distantly related. If you are sensitive to one pollen you are liable to be sensitive to another closely related pollen. If you are sensitive to ragweed you will be sensitive to goldenrod, but the degree of sensitiveness may vary considerably; but you may be free from any sensitiveness to dandelion. It is like the groups reactions exhibited in animals. It is perfectly possible to be highly susceptible to ragweed and goldenrod pollens and also to display the same sensitiveness to grasses. Occasionally we find an unfortunate individual who is sensitive to the grasses in the spring and to the autumnal pollens. If you inject such a case with pollen extracts of one of the groups to which he is sensitive, it leaves him just as sensitive to the other. As regards asthma it is interesting to note that, even if no very definite hay fever symptoms are exhibited, case...