Observations on the effect of house dust potencies

Summary

A short term study of the effect of House-dust potencies (30, 200) has been made in seventy-nine nasal or naso-bronchial patients with some degree of irritable reaction to inhaled house dust.

Sixty-two firm assessments of the initial treatments were made: in twenty-three there was clearly no effect, twenty-eight showed remissions of varying tempo and duration: in seven of these there were associated ‘reactive’ features. Eleven showed only symptomatic effects which might be considered as “reactive” or as “proving” manifestations.

Detail is given of the further course of those who began with remission, and of the symptoms encountered in the aggravations. Immunity to the effects of dust inhalation was an outstanding feature of the remissions, which however generally covered the whole symptomatic behaviour as well.

Only six patients have so far appeared capable of long-term response to treatment with House dust potencies alone.

The effects are compared with those of house dust injections, and it is clearly indicated that the two treatments operate on different lines.

Tentative suggestions are made for the discrimination of patients who may respond to the potencies and for the bearing these observations have on the design of a controlled trial.