Hay fever : its causes, treatment, and effective prevention : experimental researches / by Chas. Harrison Blackley.

Date:: 1880

Credit: Hay fever : its causes, treatment, and effective prevention : experimental researches / by Chas. Harrison Blackley. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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$and in this way to render the patient an easier prey to the floating pollen. For a similar reason, a patient should as much as possible avoid the inhalation of dust or irritating vapours. The action of pollen is to clear away a portion of the natural protector of the mucous membrane—the epithelium—thus rendering the membrane exceedingly sensitive to the contact of foreign bodies. Under such circumstances, the inhalation of matters that are at other times quite innocent, will often give rise to violent attacks of sneezing and to difficulty of breathing. The occurrence of such attacks has led some authors and also some patients to believe that these secondary causes of paroxysms, are the primary causes of the disease in many cases. They are, however, easily distinguished by the fact that they have no disturbing influence at other seasons. § 424. One excellent method of relieving the irritation in the eyes and face, is to bathe these first in tepid, then in cold water several times a day, taking care to include in the process those parts of the hair that are exposed to the atmosphere. The hair forms a very efficient gathering ground for pollen, and there is no doubt that when this is disturbed it will give rise to irritation if it comes in contact with the eyeball. In addition to the above, the use of a collyrium of some kind was found to be beneficial in allaying the irritation of the eyes; several of the various forms of collyrium in common use were tried at one time or another; but the two to which I give the preference are the following:— \\ Cupri sulph. gr. x. AquaB rosa?, siij. Aqme dist. ad, 5x1]. Misce ut fiat collyr. The eyes are to be bathed three or four times a day with a small quantity of the collyrium. 1£ Zinci sulph. gr. v. Infus. Euphras. offic, %]. Aquaa dist. ad, 3x1 j. Misce ut fiat collyr.$