Evening star., 1949-08-22

for commander OF the Maryland
Department Saturday. The vote
was SAG to AT.
Tips Offered Victims
As Hay Fever Season
Opens in District
If you've developed a sudden fit
of sneezing apd an itching and
swelling of membranes of your
nose and eyes, don't write 1t OF
as a simple summer cold.
There's a good chance you've
joined the legion of Washing
tonians who suffer the same symp-
toms every year during hay fever
season.
The bad news this year came
over the week end when detectors
showed the first evidence that
Washington air is full of ragweed
pollen.
Count Checked Daily.
DR.. Eloise w. Kailin. who keeps
a close check on the pollen pre-
valence as a representative of the
District Medical Society, said
there was scarcely trace of the
hay fever harbinger until three
days ago. But for the 24-hour
period ending at $3.50 am. Satur-
day, each cubic yard of air held
IA grains of pollen. And. at the
same time yesterday. there were SO
more than enough to bring on
the hay fever miseries.
DR.. Kailin checks the count
each day from a vaseline-covered
slide. left for 24-hour periods at
the Weather Bureaus city Office.
Twenty-fourth and M streets
NV. Currents of air pass over
the slide, and particles of pollen
and other substances which stick
to the surface, are checked micro
scopically.
Beginning today, The Star will
report the daily pollen count in
its complete weather report. ap-
pearing on Page 2. for benefit OF
the estimated 10000 hay fever
victims in the Washington area.
Sensitivity Varies.
The amount of pollen necessary
to bring on hay fever varies
widely with individuals, DIR.
Kailin said. Some people start
sneezing when there is no count.
Others aren't bothered until the
count gets up to about 60. But
experience has shown that when
the count gets above 10 there's
trouble ahead.
When the wind begins to carry
pollen from the pesky ragweed
flowers, there's almost no escape
for hay fever victims. Here. DR..
Kailin said. is what happens:
The pollen in the air lights ON
mucous membranes in the nose
and moisture brings the men,
branes into close contact with an
extract of ragweed. If the tissues
happen to be sensitive to this
extract. the tissue cells are
poisoned. releasing a number of
substances. One of these is his
famine. which expands the tiny
blood vessels of the membranes.
This expansion causes water to
leak out Of the vessels, giving rise
to Irritation and the other
familiar symptoms of hay fever.
Can Strike at Any Age.
The same thing happens in the
eyes. And, unless there is treat
ment, about one of three victims
suffer pollen asthma, when roughly
the same damage Is done in the
lungs
Hay fever can strike at any age,
but it usually spares the very
young and the very DID," DR..
Kailin said. A predisposition to
sensitivity to pollen apparently Is
passed on from parents, she said.
What can be done?
After the symptoms show up,
DR.. Kailin said, the use of anti
histamine drugs give relief in
about so per cent of caes. Better
results come from preventive in
jections-given before the symp-
toms occur-which build up a
tolerance to the pollen. The two
methods given together, if used
early enough, show results in
about 95 per cent OF cases, DIR.
Kailin said.
Besides medical treatment, the
doctor said. these are some of
the other things hay fever VIC
Tins should do:
Sleep with windows closed until
the end of September; keep out
of drafts and, above all, avoid
outings into the country, where
pollen counts are likely to be much
higher.
AS evidence of the last point,
DR.. Kailin cited a measurement
Iof 1,038 grains of pollen in a
Bethesda cornfield last August.
The high in the District last year