In the latest effort to deter-Inine why New Orleans has such Violent outbreaks of asthma, U.S. Public Health Service researchers are now interviewing former residents of the city.
To each former resident they put the following questions: "Did you have asthma while you were living in New Orleans? Did your asthma disappear after you left New Orleans?"
This newest phase of the local asthma study was described here Friday by Dr. Richard Linn of Cincinnati! Ohio, chief of clinical research, air-pollution division, U.S. Public Health Service.
Dr. Linn was keynote speaker at the luncheon session of the Louisiana Thoracic Society convention, which opened Friday at the Jung Hotel. Earlier, members of the society met jointly with the Louisiana Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease Association, which is holding a convention simultaneously at the hotel,
ONCE RESIDED HERE
Dr. Linn told those attending the luncheon that he resided in New Orleans between 1954 and 1957 when he served as chief of
medicine at the U.S. Public Health Hospital here.
"During that time my wife, who had never had asthma before, developed it," he recalled. "When she left New Orleans the asthma left her."
In carrying out the present study, Dr. Linn explained, researchers are using Public Health Service officers and members of their families as well as members of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Should these researchers discover that most former residents of the city became free of asthma after they moved, said the physician, it will indicate New Orleans has its own special type of asthma. SOURCE UNKNOWN
Dr. Linn said in another phase of the study New Orleans asthmatics are being injected with suspected offending substances to see if they will develop allergic reactions to them. The physician admitted that to date the source of the local asthmatic outbreaks has not been pinpoint-
ed. He said he is inclined to believe they may result from multiple sources of air pollution.
"Such things as marsh fires and swamp fires," he added. "Our planes have definitely detected plumes of smoke over the city. At one time it was believed that underground burning of trash was the culprit. Yet when public pressure caused the fires in one of the dumps to be extinguished the asthma peak remained as high if not higher. So there must be other causes."
Dr. Linn said there is nothing new about air pollution. He said in 1257 Queen Eleanore of England was forced to move from Nottingham because she could not stand coal smoke. In 1273 Edward I passed the first smoke-abatement ordinance. In 1306 members of Parliament passed a proclamation forbidding, under pain of death, use of coal under certain conditions.
The physician termed Los Angeles "the crown prince of smog." He told of studies being carried on in this California city
to determine lifetime effects of smog on certain animals. He said 1,600 animals lodged for testing between lanes of the Hollywood Freeway will be exposed to smog for the rest of their lives.
'AIR IS RESOURCE*
Dr. Linn said although he does not believe air pollution causes lung cancer it could be a contributing factor. He said what people sometimes forget is that air is a resource which cannot be wasted, that since air has a limited capacity to dilute pollution "we should see to it that this limit is not exceeded."
Another convention speaker advocated a nationwide program of cooperation between state boards of education to warn the young against dangers of cigarettes.
Dr. C. Frank Tate Jr. of Miami, Fla., said an anti-smoking campaign was recently inaugurated in Florida with educational and fnedical groups all participating. He said one of the first aims of the campaign is to get rid of all cigarette-vending machines in the vicinity of schools.
"We were also fortunate in discovering that there was a law which had been on our statute books since 1909 which forbade selling tobacco in any form to anyone under 21 years of age," he added.
OTHER CAMPAIGNS
Dr. Tate, who is associate professor of medicine at the
University of Miami Medical School, said New York, Pennsylvania, California, New Jersey and many other states are carrying on similar campaigns. Dr. Tate said cigarettes with filters which would strain out all tar and and nicotine would of course be the answer but that no one would buy them. He said a tobacco firm tried this once in the past.
Dr. Katharine Hsu, of Houston, Tex., urged that tuberculosis be followed up in the home.
"When we find an adult who has tuberculosis, go to that adult's home and test all members of his family," urged Dr. Hsu, who is associate professor
of pediatrics at Baylor Univel sity Medical School. "If we fmd a positive reaction to the tub culin test, then begin giving t child medicine to prevent
tuberculosis before it develop* The pill we use is called isoia-zid. In this way we can dry up the pool of infection."
Dr. Hsu said that no good will come from medicine which is allowed to stand unused on the kitchen shelf, and that a close relationship must be established between doctor and family, between family and nurse.
Delegates were welcomed by Dr. W. A. Cherry of New Orleans, president of the Louisiana Thoracic Society. Sessions will last through Saturday. PHOTO: DR. RICHARD LINN Speaks on air pollution. PHOTO: PARTICIPANTS in Friday's sessions of the joint convention of the Louisiana Thoracic Society and the Louisiana Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease Association included (from left) Dr. C. Frank Tate Jr., Univer-
sity of Miami, Fla.; Dr. Katherine Hsu, Houston, Tex.; Dr. W. A. Cherry, New Orleans, president of the LTS, and Dr. Lawrence Strug, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans.
