REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1921. 101 



of consideration. According to this theory, the hay-fever victim 

 has the faculty of decomposing pollen into its poisonous and non- 

 poisonous constituents, and the poisonous part causes the troublesome 

 irritation to the mucous membranes of the eyes and nose. Extracts 

 made from pollen are employed for the purpose of immunization and 

 creating a tolerance to pollen proteins. The public has manifested 

 great interest in the exhibit illustrating the curative and preventive 

 methods of treating this disease. Charts show some of the plants 

 which cause the disease ; enlarged illustrations of the pollen ; how the 

 medicine is administered; the effects of diagnostic tests on patients 

 to ascertain whether their trouble is caused by plants maturing in the 

 spring or autumn ; and filled syringes of tlie pollen extracts contain- 

 ing the protein nitrogen from the pollen of rye, timothy, orchard 

 grass, sweet vernal grass, and redtop grass dissolved in physiological 

 saline solution for treatment of spring hay fever, and extracts from 

 the pollen of ragweed, golden rod, and com for fall hay fever. 



The accession is made up of 15 charts, upon which 175 photo- 

 graphs, specimens, etc., have been mounted. Several interesting 

 additions will be made to this series. 



The arrangement of medicines by therapeutic effect is the most 

 useful to physicians, but standard works (Pharmacopoeias and Dis- 

 pensatories) contain an alphabetical arrangement of the articles of 

 materia medica, because a physiological classification is a delusive 

 guide, due to the fact that some medicines could be properly placed 

 in several different classes on account of the variation of their action 

 depending on the dose, combination, mode of administration, etc. 

 The study collections of the division, which until recently were the 

 exhibition series, are arranged botanically, and the therapeutic action 

 is usually described on the label by group names, such as emetic, 

 expectorant, sialagogue, etc. These descriptive therapeutic terms 

 appear on many of the specimens of the exhibition series without 

 conveying anything to a person not versed in medicine. So, with a 

 view to making the meaning of these terms clear and to point out 

 some of the most used representatives of some of the well-known 

 classes, an exhibit has been arranged comprising 26 groups. Three 

 official medicines have been selected to represent each class depending 

 upon the predominant virtue which they manifest and on account of 

 which they are most frequently prescribed. The therapeutic groups 

 shown with appropriate descriptions and examples are, alteratives, 

 antispasmodics, laxatives, carminatives, diaphoretics, emetics, vesi- 

 cants, caustics, demulcents, narcotics, cardiac stimulants, cardiac de- 

 pressants, diuretics, anodynes, digestants. antiseptics, vermicides, 

 astringents, sialagogues, febrifuges, styptics, expectorants, antacids, 

 anaesthetics, local anaesthetics, and disinfectants. The Museum is 



