SUMMARY Of 417 asthmatic children seen in hospital from 1941 to 1947, only 208 (50 %) were still attending the hospital and were available for long-term follow-up, whereas a 91 % follow-up was achieved from a personal follow-up of 267 asthmatic children seen in an East London group practice from 1948 to 1952 and followed for more than 20 years to December 1972. 125 patients (52%) were almost or completely symptom free; 51 (21 %) had never had any symptom-free period for longer than 6 months; a further 63 (27%) had a remission of symptoms for 3 years before relapsing. 7 patients died, 3 due to their asthma.

Summary The incidence of asthma, ‘hay fever’ and infantile eczema alone, or in any combination, in a group practice of 9145 registered patients in an East London suburb, was on analysis found to be 7.2%.

Summary A patient with asthma urticaria and angioedema induced by allergy to seminal plasma was examined at intervals for 10 years. Before treatment her anaphylactic susceptibility to seminal plasma was manifested by very strong prick‐test responses, IgE antibody to an allergenic fraction of seminal plasma determined by RAST, and by antigen‐induced histamine release from her blood leucocytes. The skin test and in vitro lymphocyte tests indicated concomitant delayed hypersensitivity to the same allergen. The patient's lymphocytes treated with seminal plasma allergen fraction showed much increased incorporation of thymidine, and also synthesis of a product (NIF) that inhibited migration of neutrophils from a normal donor. The allergen fraction of seminal plasma had about five components in the range of 20000–40000 daltons molecular weight; the major fraction binding IgE appeared to be a glycoprotein. The patient was successfully desensitized by injections of her husbanďs seminal plasma. Desensitization was not associated with persistent amounts of antigen‐specific IgG antibodies.

Summary Forty patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis, not responding to antihistamines, were treated for 6 weeks, beginning 1 June 1972, with either a 2% solution of sodium cromoglycate or placebo in a double blind group comparative trial. The solution was administered intranasally by means of a spray pack. There was a statistical significance in favour of the active material (P<0.025) with regard to the success or failure.

Much confusion still exists regarding the factors which affect the long-term prognosis of wheezing in childhood. In order to resolve this problem, a long-term follow up of asthmatic children under 12 years of age attending hospital was started in 1941 and continued to 1947 by which time only 208 (50%) of the original 417 asthmatic children were still attending hospital.These were followed up until 1967followed up until (Blair 1969. No attempt was made to differentiate between wheezy bronchitis, asthmatic bronchitis, bronchial asthma and asthma. The only criterion for diagnosis of asthma was that the child had a minimum of 3 attacks of paroxysmal dyspnoea with wheezing, the wheezing being a high pitched continuous sound present during the greater part of expiration and heard all over the chest. (Other causes of wheezing -cystic fibrosis of the lung, foreign bodies in the air passages, primary pulmonary tuberculosis with enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes, agamma-and hypogammaglobulinaemia -were first excluded.)It was felt that a more satisfactory follow up might result from a prospective follow up of asthmatic children in a general practice. A personal follow-up study of all the asthmatic children under 12 years of age registered in an East London practice, who were seen between the years