No matter how hard you try, you cannot hide from springtime
allergens. They are ubiquitous. About 15 percent of those
inflicted with allergies this time of year are reacting to tree
pollen, which can travel up to 400 miles and is easily inhaled.
The other 85 percent of us are affected by grass pollen, which
is equally annoying. In either case, the symptoms are the same:
itchy and watery eyes, stuffy and runny nose, scratchy throat
and maybe wheezing if you also have asthma. While we now
recognize this malady as springtime or seasonal allergies, back
in the late 18th and early 19th century the condition was less
well understood. Back then, a link was made between hay season
and cold-like symptoms. Thus, when someone developed cold-like
symptoms from the end of May to end of July, they were often
diagnosed with “hay fever.” By the mid-19th century, however,
studies were being done on the reproduction of plants, and it
was determined that they reproduce sexually. That’s how pollen
was discovered. Some plants wer