HAY FEVER HAY ASTHMA. 317 



being suitable for the residence of the hay-asthmatic during the summer months 

 Kir.^t and foremost among th<'s<* is Lundy Island, near Ilfracombe, in the Bristol 

 Channel. Then there are Lizard Point in Cornwall, the point of land near St 

 Muwe's, and the point of land nrar her Majesty's residence at Osborne. Some parts 

 of the Isle of Man, such for instance, as the district a little beyond Port St Mary 

 or Port Erin, would prove suitable. On the Welsh coast the district near St. 

 1>; iv id's Head is recommended. There are also some of the small islands off the 

 west coast of Scotland which would give complete protection from attacks of hay 

 frv-r. In America the great place of resort is Fire Island. This island is about 

 twenty miles long by three-quarters broad, and is situated on the Atlantic side of 

 Long Island; on one side a bay (the great South Bay) separates it from Long 

 Island, and on the other is the broad Atlantic. Scarcely anything but a coarse, 

 short grass grows there, and this is rarely seen in flower in any quantity. 



A cruise in a yacht is almost a specific for hay fever, for it removes the sufferer 

 from the cause of his suffering. Many noblemen and gentlemen of wealth who 

 are afflicted with hay-fever, take to their yachts early every summer, and remain 

 afloat till the hay is all in, and they thus escape the complaint altogether. Unfor- 

 tunately the majority of people can afford neither the time nor the money to avail 

 themselves of this mode of obtaining relief, but even a day or two's cruise will do 

 good, provided always the vessel keeps well out from shore. In long voyages there is 

 one point which is worth bearing in mind. Cattle and sheep are often taken on 

 board ship, and, of course, require to be fed. In most cases the food consists largely 

 of dried hay. In this way the hay-asthmatic may be thrown in contact with, pollen, 

 and have his complaint developed. 



For those who cannot get to the sea the next best thing is to go to the centre of 

 a large town, the larger and the more densely populated the ' better. It is a good 

 plan, too, to keep in-doors as much as possible during the middle of the day. High 

 mountain lands used only for grazing purposes will also be found good for hay-fever 

 patients, although by no means equal to a well-chosen sea-side residence. Some 

 parts of the Highlands of Scotland, as well as some of the mountainous districts in 

 Wales, will be found to answer well. 



When one cannot get away from home, the only thing is to trust to medicinal 

 agents. One of these tobacco hardly merits that name but for all that it is 

 of all probably the most trustworthy. There is nothing during a paroxysm of 

 hay asthma that has anything like the effect of smoking tobacco, and although this 

 is especially the case in the later stage of the attack, when the asthmatic element is 

 most developed, still, in the earlier stage, when the sneezing and running from the 

 eyes and nose are prominent symptoms, tobacco-smoking exerts a very marked 

 influence as a sedative. During the hay asthma season that is, in the majority of 

 cases, from about the 15th of May to the 10th or 12th of July the sufferer should 

 regularly smoke a cigar the last thing before going to bed, or, better still, when in 

 brd. This ni^ht cigar is taken as a preventive. Tobacco will cure the asthmatic spasm 

 when it is fairly on, but it requires a larger dose, and it must be taken in a stronger 

 form. The sedative influence of the cigar will usually ensure a fair night's rest ; 

 but the powerful depression of strong shag tobacco is usually necessary to cut short 



