Medicine: Parrot Fever

A man with a stuffy head, running nose and red eyes took a woe-begone seat in Dr. Grafton Tyler Brown’s consultation room, in Washington. Dr. Brown eyed the patient diagnostically and stated: “You have hayfever.” The stuffy head snufflingly: “Yes!!” Dr. Brown scraped the man’s skin and tested it with every protein he suspected might have caused the hayfever. One protein reacted positively. Stated Dr. Brown: “You have a parrot in your home.” Patient snuffled: “Yes.” Dr. Brown: “Get rid of the parrot.” The patient did so and never after had stuffy head, running nose, red eyes. The irritating protein was dust from the parrot’s feathers.*

*Case reported in last week’s issue of the American Medical Association’s Journal.