The Behavior of Bronchial Asthma as an Inherited Character.

In a study of 400 cases of bronchial asthma, some attention was given to the behavior of the disease as an inherited character. In the series of 400 cases, 192 or 48 percent gave a history of the occurrence of asthma among other members of the family, and 208 cases, or 52 percent, gave a negative family history. Of the group of 191 patients who were sensitive to proteins as demonstrated by positive skin tests (WALKER, 1916), 96, or 24 percent, of the 400 cases gave a history of the occurrence of asthma or hay-fever in the family, and in 85 cases, or 21.25 percent, the family history was negative. Of the 209 cases which were negative with all the proteins tried in the skin tests, 96, or 24 percent, reported asthma among other members of the family, and 123, or 30.75 percent, knew of no relative who had asthma or hay-fever. In the group of cases sensitive to proteins, 52 percent gave a history of asthma in the family, while