In December 1938 Bloom1 reported marked success in the treatment of hay fever by the oral administration of potassium salts. Reporting twenty-nine cases of hay fever, Bloom stated that the administration of 5 grains (0.32 Gm.) of potassium chloride three or four times a day in a glass of water gave in all twenty-nine "a degree of relief which was estimated as over 50 per cent, and in most of them approximately 100 per cent." A second report confirming these results was published by Bloom and Grauman2 in July 1939. Meanwhile Abt3 reported comparable results in children and Engelsher4 in a communication to The Journal reported practically complete failure.
In view of the simplicity of the treatment involved and the importance of hay fever as a disabling affliction, it was thought advisable to repeat the work of Bloom. The following account, therefore, presents our efforts impartially
Miller H, Piness G. POTASSIUM SALTS IN HAY FEVER. JAMA. 1940;114(17):1627. doi:10.1001/jama.1940.62810170005005c