An orally administered poison ivy extract, Aqua Ivy, AP, is now being sold without prescription; each tablet contains 0.6 mg. of alum-precipitated poison ivy complex. Mass immunization of persons of varying sensitivities to poison ivy extract, without medical supervision, is hazardous, as shown by the following case summaries.
A female, aged 14, took one tablet of Aqua Ivy, AP as directed, every other day, on April 3, 5, and 7, 1958. The patient, when seen on April 9, had swelling of right wrist and elbow joints, associated with a purpuric rash of the arms and the chest. This girl, for a number of years, has suffered from severe poison ivy attacks necessitating bed rest and a physician's attendance.
The members of a family (consisting of husband and wife, both aged 41, and their sons, aged 15 and 11) each took one tablet of Aqua Ivy, AP on March 18, 20,