Symptomatic relief of urticaria and allied manifestations of cutaneous allergy is essential to the management of such dermatoses while a search for their cause is being made. The use of epinephrine, ephedrine and sedatives is often contraindicated or unsatisfactory. Attempts at desensitization to histamine have proved disappointing. We are therefore making this preliminary report to call attention to a new drug which shows promise, we believe, in the management of such eruptions. PHARMACOLOGY Benadryl1 (beta dimethylaminoethyl benzhydryl ether hydrochloride) antagonizes the effects of histamine on smooth muscle of the bronchioles and intestines of guinea pigs and effectively alleviates histamine shock in these animals.2 It is a white crystalline powder, soluble in water and alcohol, and is stable under ordinary conditions of temperature and atmosphere. The preparation is well tolerated by animals in many times the dosage recommended for man. The maximum response occurs