The Express.
London, England, 1864-01-05 00:00:00

A PRBVBNTATIVE OP HYDROPHOBIA.

The Leeds Mcrotry of to-day publishes a com-
munication from Mr. dames o.srt4 Marshall, of Leeds,
drawing attention to a certain cure. or ratber preventative,
of the dreadful ditease of hydropbolna. Mr. Marshall,
having seen in print a French method of treatment for the
disease, wrote to Lis family physician in London—oee of the
mast eminent members of the f aculty—to inquire whether it
was to be relied upon • and Le reeeived the reply which
Mr. Marshall thinks it hie duty to publish, and which is as
follows:
" London. Dec. 21.

" My dear sir.—Every year produces at7inielibieOne-
truoi for hydrophobia. The malady, nevertheless, exists in all
its unknown mystery and terror. Except that it is believed
to be purely a disease of the nervous system, nothing is
known an to the nature of the virus or its laws of mirage-
title ; so I have long dismissal keeping a list of remedies
for the developed disease. Yet you will be astonished if I
add, that. I believe it never, or almost never, need be taken
even from the maddest of dogs. About twenty-five years
ago, more or less, I was sent for to see the present Lord
L—, then a fine healthy lad, who, it was said. had
been licked, not only over the lila, but within the mouth,
by a little terrier, which was found Pitting on the bleeping
lad's chest, and dipping his tongue into his imister's open
mouth. The deimesuour of the dog alarmed the late Lord
L—, and I was called in to ascertain the fact of
tbe -dog being or not being n.ad. Now on this point
I did not consider myself any authority, and so sent for Sir
Beoj. Brodie, who, though Rennie; with me es to the
probable madness of the dog, nevertheless desired that the
late Mr. Youatt, the veterinary surgeon, and a most remark-
able nun, should he appealed to. lie at once pronommed
the ilary; as labouring under hydrophobia. and, turning to me,
added, 'lf you will come to me in five days at our dog
hospital, we can dissect the animal.'
I did so, and found the dug dead, and Youatt bust in
opening the carcase. I naturally was shy in touching the
asimal, and asked if he were not afraid. 'No,' be answered
' I have repeatedly been bitten by my most undoubted
patieuts—(there were several in cribs there then, which 1
saw alive)—and Inver have any fear.' I asked how
often he had been bitten ; he told me eight times; and then
he called his assistant or porter, and asked him how often he
had been bitten ; he, I thiuk, owned to at least eight and
I believe ten, undoubted introductions of the virus; and
be it remembered, that the attack or bites were all on the
bands of these men. so could not be wiped off by any inter-
vening garment. Youatt then told me that his remedy
was to allow the common nitrate of silver, easily procurable.
to filter into the wouLd ; it decomposes the waive, and in
doing this destroys the virus. Whenever lam bitten I
hare a remedy sure and at baud, and uo fears of the disease
supervening.
! " The actual cautery, the caustic rata., and excision. are
in my opinion unsafe and liable to fail. Toe nitrate of silver
chases the penal* into the very capillaries and neutralises it.
"Since I bays known this I always use it to any bite of a
dog, sound or not, and am at rest.
"The above was dated in some blue book about thirty
years ago, by Youatt.
•Brodie and I acted on it, and made poor young Lord
L—'e lips, palate, and throat as black as that of his
therough-heed mad terrier ; and he. if you ever see him, will
tell you this tide.
" Yours truly.
" The poises of hydrophobia remains latent oe an average
six weeks : the part heals over. but there is • pimple or
wound, more or less imitable; it then heroines painful, and
the germ, whatevee it is, is ripe for dissemination into the
system, and then all hope is gone.
" Nevertheless, between the time of the bite and the
activity of the wound previous to dweemin►tion, the caustic
or nitrate of silver is a sure preventative ; after that, Big
as useless as all the other means.
" The best mode of application of the nitrate of slime
is by introducing it solidiy into the wound. It melts in an
equal quantity of water. If shoed, healed, the cicatrix
should be rubbed and causticated away entirely."

Mr. Glatldtoue ad.lre.med a meeting of working
men at Buckley, in Flintshire, last night. The right hon.
gentlemen strongly urged upon his audience the neceasity of
providing against a rainy day, and he wu at special pains to
point out the facilities which the Post•ofsce Savings Banks
offered for the investment of small sums of money.

At Oldham yesterday, above 8,000 persons were
"toed" and fs:cd by Mr. John Platt, of the Hartford New
Iron Works, in celebration of his eldest son attaining his
majority. The festivities were held iu the works, which
were specially fitted up, and the smonut of provisions cow.
sunned would have stocked a large retail establishment.
There was a ball in the evening, and an address to Mr.
Platt.

MR. BAINES, M.P., ON PARLIAMENTARY RE-
FORM.—Mr. Edward Baines, M.P., for Leeds, haa addressed
• letter on the subject of parliamentary reform to the Leeds
Working Men's Parliamentary Association. The boo. gen-
tlemen advocates •n extension r f the aufftage. He
says :—" So long as the intelligent labour of the
kingdom is all but wholly unrepeesented in the
kgiskture, there remains • great Injustice un-
redeemed. You know 1 am no extreme man. and that
lam • finn friend of our old constitution but when
look at the state of the franchise, sod Pee that the
working classes, although they form at least three-fonras
of the population, have only • minute fragment of •
share in the representation, and that fragment con-
stantly diminishiug. I am astonished that such •
state of things can be allowed to coutiena." He
then reviews the course of this question during the years
1841-2-3, enters rather largely upon the ducat oral pro-
gress of the people, and adds : •• An enlargement of the
franchise, then, msy be repinied as a double
debt owing by turliarnent to the people—a
debt of justice to the unrepresented classes, and •
debt of honour to the constituencies ' • and each of three
debts is overdue. Meanwhile parliament is hastening to the
day when it must pay the slobt of eaten, and render up its
account Ido not see how that account can be rendered
satisfactorily, if the ensuing session should poss over without
at least sit attempt on the part of every honest reformer in
the Howie of Commons to redeem his pledge."
FIRM CELTtRE.—TIie total number of salmon
introduced into the Tay through the operation of the
breeding ponds at Stuff inuntfiold, has been in round figures
something like a million and a quarter, sod the tented of
the river has grown in consequence, so increase of 10 per
feet being due to the pond., the expense of them being
only about I/. per week. Sir William Jardine states that
pool-brad fish suffer no deterioration from the circumstance
of their birth sod srtificial nurture. On composing the fish
of the Stormonttield ponds with thole, in the river, that
gentleman found • remarkable similarity and agreemeet of
the different stages in all respects with those of the Name ages
Another reception pond is shout to be added to the @site.
This will enable the conservator to produce a hatch' of
300,000 salmon every year. These will be protette4 in
the ponds till they change from the parr intr the smelt
stage, at which time they become imbued with the talirs-
tory instinct, and seek to visit the salt water. Bat She
hest operstions in salmon breeding are being carried ea la
Ireland. They are the best as tearer& their magnitedos
and in the feet of their having introduced salmon into
rivers which were formerly ioaccesaible to that fish.