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COMMONWEALTH SERUM
LABORATORIES
HAY FEVER IN AUSTRALIA.
The journal of the Commonwealth
Health Department reports:-The
Commonwealth serum laboratories
have dedicated a special sub-depart
mont to tho production of protein ex-
tracts for tho detection and treatment
of human allergy. The work is being
attacked along the lines of coca, and
already a large number of materials
haye been supplied to tho Australian
medical profession. Using the extracts
of the pollens of certain weeds,
grasses, and garden flowers, the medi-
cal men to whom these extracts have
been supplied have detected 288 in-
stances of human allergy., These
allergies are in respect of the pollens
of grasses and weeds. Garden flowers
have some influence, but the figures up
to date do not suggest that they have
any great significance. The experi-
ence of the laboratories in thia mat-
ter seems to confirm largely the ob-
servations of a few pioneer Australian
workers. The laboratories will be
glad to have pollens forwarded to them
from different districts of tho Com-
monwealth where such pollens are be-
lieved on clinical grounds to be likely
causes of hay fever. Individuals who
would be willing to co-operate in this
work, for the sake of patients who are
suffering and in whom they are inter-
ested, will be supplied on application
to the laboratories with exact instruc
lions as to how the pollen haB to bc
collected and despatched. The makins
of these extracts is expensive anc
their investigation troublesome. Nev
extracts will only be made therefor*
if , there is a reasonable prospect of I
fair number of sufferers requiring
treatment. AU information regardini
cases of suspected pollón "hypersensi-
tiveness will be welcomed from phy-
sicians, with whom the laboratories
wish to collaborate in the handling of
the allergy problem. If the medical
practitioner has determined the nature
of the sensitiveness in tho particular
patient, desensitisatiori can usually be
effected. This desensitisation is hard-
ly ever complete, but .is sufficient to
enable the patient to come into con-
tact in the normal way with the
offending agent without suffering any
serious inconvenience.. Desensitisation
should be undertaken every year or
two until the sensitiveness has been
diminished to the extent desired. In-
dividuals interested in this problem
will be supplied with a booklet on ap-
plication at tho laboratories.
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