In these days of health columns in the newspapers and ;:J6a-zines, the public has become aware of the dangers of the common cold and the importance of its early treatment. Unfortunately, however, the proper treatment is not well known, and the layman is advised, through popular advertising, of "certain cures" for colds by the use of nasal drops and sprays. Furthermore, physicians are often asked for their opinion as to the merits of these preparations. Heretofore physicians have assumed, that even if such preparations did little if any good, they did at least no harm.