Evening star., 1948-09-30
Blister Fluid Harmless
In Poison Ivy Spread,
Doctor Session Told
By George Beveridqe

The public has been getting bad
advice for long time about how
to take care of poison ivy infec-
tions, according to DR.. Rudolph L
Baer, skin specialist at Monmouth
Memorial Hospital at Long Beach
N. Y.
Cases Of poison Ivy are so COM
mon they are seen often by nearly
every doctor; but only recently, DR.
Baer said. have some of the time
honored ideas proved to be mis-
conceptions. For many years, for
example. he said, patients have
been told:
l. Don't touch the blisters with
your hands, because you'll spread
the infection.
2. Wash the blisters thoroughly
with soap and water to remove any
of the substance that caused the
infection.
Both Cautions Wrong.
Both are all wrong, DR.. Baer
said in an address at the final ses-
sion of the District Medical So
ciety's Scientific Assembly yester-
day in the Hotel Statler.
In the first place, he told doctors
attending the meeting. experiments
have proved that fluid in the blisters
can't spread the infection, even if
applied elsewhere on the body. This
doesn't mean patients should go out
of their way to handle the blisteri
because there's danger of injuring
the already damaged skin. Blu,
don't worry about the spreading
DR.. Baer said.
In the second place, he went on
most of the causative substance out
side the bliSters is gone by the time
blisters show up, so washing the in
fection doesn't help. And SOAP
actually can harm it, he said.
Experiments have showed that
poison i''y infection can be halteo
completely only within five minutes
after you come into contact with
the weed. This is the time for the
soap and water, DR.. Baer advised
Even after the 5 minutes, however
washing will reduce the chance OF
injecting other skin areas with the
infectious substance.
Spreads to Sensitive Areas.
AS to why poison ivy infections
will appear on different parts of the
body at week-long intervals, the
answer seems to be that skin on
some parts of the body is more sem
sitive than on others, DR.. Baer said
Doctors should proceed with eau
ton in using most of the "allergenic
extracts" available to treat poison
ivy infections. the dermatologist
warned. While they haven't proved
to be very effective, there is evil
dence that some of the injections
prolong the Infection" DR.. Baer
said.
In poison ivy and other similar
skin infections, use of the new anti
histaminic drugs has been "a great
disappointment" DR.. Baer said
although in from 20 to 25 per cent
OF such cases the drugs are of value
against itching Until many addi-
tional investigations" have been
made with these drugs no definite
conclusions can be reached about
them, the physician explained.
DR.. Leslie N. Gay of the Johns
Hopkins University Medical School
said the drugs have caused definite
Improvements, however. in some
types of allergies. In one study of
$50 patients suffering from various
65.4 per cent were improved
by the antihistaminics.
Asthma Cause Traced.
In another address, DR.. Harry S.
Benton of the Georgetown Univer-
sity Medical School, said there are
asthma sufferers who can trace the
onset of their disease to severe
infections - such as
cough, pneumonia and
influenza. This should add impetus
to the need for prophylactic meas
ures against whooping cough In
he added.
To hay fever victims. DR.. Benton
advised adoption Of keep warm in
side and outside" as slogan for a