578 IMMUNOLOGY 



Westeott and Gaillard (1940) report that 12 out of 15 patients 

 with liay fever obtained no relief from symptoms when treated 

 with potassium chloride. Feinberg and Bernstein state that a 

 healthy skepticism should be maintained relative to the use of 

 histaminase and of histamine in the treatment of allergy until more 

 well-planned and carefully controlled series of cases are reported. 



Correct Breathing. — Brown (1925) states that in the past 

 morphine has been the "sheet anchor" in the treatment of asthma. 

 He recommends that asthma patients be taught to breathe slowly 

 and quietly. In his opinion asthmatic attacks may be induced 

 by prolonged, forced expiration and acute attacks may be relieved 

 if the patient will let the air out of his lungs slowly and without 

 force. 



Adrenalin and Ephedrine.— It is quite customary to treat 

 asthmatic attacks by the injection of adrenalin or by the use of 

 some drug that will relax the ])ronchial musculature. Ephedrine 

 has been used quite extensively in controlling attacks of hay fever. 

 It should be rememl)ered that the continued use of ephedrine and 

 adrenalin to shrink the mucous membrane is undesirable, since the 

 mucous membi-ane ultimately becomes chronically congested. 



Diathermy. — Diathermj- has been used in the treatment of hay 

 fever and asthma with variable success. This and other methods 

 of fever therapy are discussed by Feinberg, Osborne and Afremow 

 (1931), Leopold and Stewart (1931) and by Miller and Piness 

 (1931). For a more comprehensive discussion of therapy in 

 allergy the student is referred to Rackemann (1931) or one of the 

 other monographs mentioned at the beginning of this chapter. 



References 



Abramson, H. A., Engel, M., Lubkin, V., and Ochs, L. : Eeveised loutoplioresis 

 of Histamine From Human Skin; Its Bearing on the Histamine Theory 

 of Allergic Wheal, Proc. Soc. Exper. Biol. & Med. 38: 65, 1938. 



Alexander, H. L., and MeConnell, F. S. : The Variability of Skin Eeaction.s 

 in Allergy, J. Allergy 2: 23, 1930. 



Alexander, H. L. : Bronchial Asthma: Its Diagnosis and Treatment, Phila- 

 delphia, 1928, Lea & Febiger. 



Alexander, H, L. : The Treatment of Hay Fever by Specialists in the United 

 States and Canada, J. Allergy 4: 169, 1933. (Report of an inquiry.) 



Alexander, H. L.: The Basal Metabolic Rate in Allergic Disease, J. Allergy 

 2: 507, 1931. 



Auer, J.: The Functional Analysis of Anaphylaxis. Chap. II of Forch- 

 heimer's Therapeusis of Internal Diseases, New York, 1915, D. Apple- 

 ton-Century Co. 5: p. 39. 



Balyeat, R. M.: Allergic Eczema, J. Allergj' 1: 516, 1930. 



