574 IMMUXOLOOY 



have been suggested. The latter are not recommended by Alex- 

 ander (1928) who has made an extensive study of their value in 

 the treatment of clinical allergy. 



Abramson, Engel, Lubkin and Ochs (1938) have developed an 

 iontophoretic method of detecting histamine in wheals of the 

 human skin when present in dilutions of 1 :5, 000,000. When this 

 method was applied to wheals produced by ragweed, timothy or 

 ultraviolet light no histamine could be demonstrated. In a review 

 of the literature on asthma and hay fever, Feinberg and Bern- 

 stein state that in their opinion the histamine theory of allergy 

 cannot as yet be accepted. As a corollary to this they feel that 

 the histaminase treatment of allergy is not yet of proved value. 

 In tliis connection the observations of Campbell and Nicoll (1940) 

 are of interest. They report tlie release of an active non-histamine 

 material from sensitized guinea pig lung during in vitro anaphy- 

 laxis. The non-]iistamine substance tliey describe produced definite 

 response in the rat uterus. While their results need confirma- 

 tion, they should stimulate further research relative to the mech- 

 anism of the pliysiological response in hypersensitiveness. 



Committees on Allergy Clinics.— Within recent years the grow- 

 ing interest in allergy has led to the organization of numerous 

 allergy clinics. The evidence of Avidespread interest in allergy 

 resulted in the appointment of committees by the Society for the 

 Study of Asthma and Allied Conditions and the Association for 

 the Study of Allergy, respectively, to ascertain the minimum re- 

 quirements of equipment and personnel for such clinics. In their 

 joint preliminary report made in 1932 they offer the following 

 suggestions as to the location and equipment of an allergy clinic : 



Committee Recommendations for Clinic Equipment, Supplies 

 AND Personnel. — 



''1. Room in an organized hospital and facilities for bed patients. 



"2. X-ray facilities. 



"3. Access to a nose and throat department capable of doing 

 major sinus surgery. 



"4. Skin test materials, scratch or intradermal (should include 

 intradermal). Facilities for keeping intradermal solutions fresh, 

 particularly after they have been diluted. 



