Evening star., 1923-04-25

The vacuum cleaner is the last
place busy housewives would look for
q cure for their hay fever. but 1t is
to be found there, nevertheless, In
many cases. according to physicians
at the hay fever clinic of the Wom-
ans Welfare Association, 1922 11th
street northwest.
How 1t works may be seen by those
interested on any Tuesday afternoon
at 4 o'clock, when from dozen to
fifty women and girls. according to
the season of the year. attend the
clinic. A clinic held on Friday after
moons at 2 o'clock is for young girls
only.
You enter the clinic at the time ap-
pointed
Array of Tubes and Bottles.
The physician sits at table on
which there is an array OF mystic
little tubes and curiously stoppered
bottles
The doctor tells you your hay fever
may be caused by any one of more
than sixty pollena-from flowers and
grasses. and. indeed, from the protein
In other substances, such as flour and
house dust
I'll show you" states the physician.
Taking wooden block with neat
little bottles in it, he proceeds to
dnstopper one and dip a small glass
rod into it
You bare your arm, the doctor wipes
of nice place with a bit of cotton
soaked in real alcohol, then you are
ready for the test. For that is
what he is doing-testing you-pro-
tein reaction.
80
ably Is sensitized to some protein.
With some folks it is trawberries.
With some it is Holsters. The thing
TO do in such case is not to eat
lens, grasses and other substances
that cause hay fever, it is a different
story. One simply has TO breathe.
Proceeds to Experiment.
"Now I will test you for several
>proteins and see If we get a reac-
ton" says the doctor, placing a drop
from his first little bottle on your
skin; skin; Then he places another drop
Pretty soon there are two rows of
riscid drops beaming up at you.
Hn- am going to scratch the
cian. ( won't hurt Nor does It.
The doctor indicates drop after
drop, with the remark that one is
corn. another is giant raeweed, one
tlHioNiiss dIotHcE Dldth walnut,
grass: white oak; etc. He explains
that If a patient be sensitized to the
protein in any of the extracts. a
swelling of the skin, something like
hive. will appear After goodly
wait. nothing happens. He then ex-
plains that sometimes he has TO test
4 patient out on as many as thirty
fiye different extracts. He next asks
if you are in the house good deal.
Yes. but we have vacuum clean
ef," you answer.
Puts on Another Drop.
He puts on another drop and soon
q neat hive appears. He tells you
next time to bring dust from the bag
of your vacuum cleaner SO that he
can make an extract therefrom and
you begin to receive fnoculations. In
jections of the extract start the sys-
tenn to building up "anti-bodies" SO
that when the protein comes natural
~ in contact with the nasal pas
sages. no harassing hay fever re-
action occurs.
Hay fever is held essentially heredl-
tary disease by those at the clinic in
that the tissues of the child are SEN
sitive to certain proteins that affected
the mother. The clinic therefore
particularly likes to treat young
girls for the disease to render their
systemS immune.
The clinic believes in preventive
work, as far as possible, ami each
season, having tested a person out
and found the particular pollen that
causes the disease. begins it's program
several weeks in advance Of the ap-
pearance of the guilty pollen.
Must Know Your Protein Foe.
Thus a person, knowing his par
ticular protein enemy and the time
when the pollen that bears 1t is due