Hay Fever
Perhaps you have seen a hay fever sufferer, in the summer, sneezing violently and showing every sign of a serious cold. Hay fever is not a cold. It is not caused by a germ, but by the pollen of some plant, carried by the wind against the over-sensitive membranes of eye, nose and throat of the sufferer. It comes usually to people who, besides having sensitive mucous membranes, are tired or nervous; and every attack makes the sufferer more liable to another. Several plants such as goldenrod, dandelion and ragweed are chief offenders in causing hay fever.
Various cures have been attempted. The best cure is removal to the mountains or to the seashore, far away from the pollen. Various drugs, including cocaine, have proved helpful; but the effect of these is only temporary. Sometimes relief is provided by cauterizing the sensitive area of the mucous membrane. Some doctors inoculate the patient in order to build up resistance to the disease. Another method of warding off hay fever is to wear a mask provided with a filter in all areas where pollen is apt to be carried about by the wind.
Hay fever belongs to the family of allergic diseases, in which a person becomes ill because of special sensitivity to a certain food or drug or heat or cold or pollen or dust or even sunlight. Here is a remarkable illustration of the old adage that “one man’s meat is another man’s poison.” In no case is this truer than in the case of allergy.
