THE TREATMENT OF BRONCHIAL ASTHMA

The treatment of bronchial asthma is so much dependent on its etiology and a differentiation from other conditions which have similar symptoms, that it is mandatory that a short sketch of these necessary facts be presented before I enter on the main subject of this paper.Bronchial asthma may be due to anaphylactic or reflex phenomena. It must be distinguished from asthmatic bronchitis, dyspnea due to cardiac decompensation, uremia, and obstructive dyspnea from inflammatory tissue, tumors or enlarged glands or organs in the lumen of the tracheobronchial tree or pressing on the outside of it. A proper physical examination, roentgenoscopy, urine and blood investigation and endoscopy will definitely exclude all the conditions mentioned except asthmatic bronchitis. The last can be excluded by the fact that it is not dependent on anaphylaxis for its symptoms but on definite pathologic changes in the bronchial and peribronchial tissues, which may or may not