Asthma in Children

Czerny expressed the opinion twenty years ago that eczema in breast-fed infants was due to a disturbed fat metabolism. He therefore included these cases in his so-called exudative diathesis group. Since then, many differing theories have been advanced regarding the etiology of eczema, urticaria and angioneurotic edema, each finding a measure of support. It was not known until the introduction of the protein skin tests that a definite relation between protein sensitization and these dermatoses existed. This was established by the work of Blackfan,¹Talbot,²Strickler,³White,⁴Schloss,⁵O'Keefe,⁶Shannon⁷and others. The earlier investigators made the clinical observation that children with eczema were especially prone to recurrent attacks of so-called "non-infective rhinitis" and "bronchitis" or bronchial asthma. Holt⁸remarked that asthma following eczema in children was not infrequent. Schloss⁵stated that "a good proportion of infants or young children with