The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-08-05 00:00:00

CURE OF HYDROPHOBIA.

The Lord Mayor stated yesterday. at the Mansion-House. that
he continued to receive intomistion of persons having been bitten
by deopi, and of great mischief occasiniasl by those animals being
allowed to run at large in tho metropolis. He said that a number
of benevolent persons had foewarded to him specifies for the cure of
the dreadful malady; but Sir G. H. Hue had just sent him a
statement, which he had translated from the Berlin Gazette and
wished to be made public, that the mode of cure recommended
in it might be tried. The statement was made by • Mr. Ma.
rochette, an operator in the hospital at Moscow. He says that,'
in lel; he was in the Ukraine, when fifteen persons applied ,
to him for cure, all having been bitten by a mad dog. Whilst
Mr. Marochette was preparing the remedies, a deputation of
several old men made its appearance, to request him to allow a pea-
sant to treat then—a man who had for some years past enjoyed a
great reputatien for 'prevention of hydrophobia, and of whose suc-
cess Doctor 3laroshette had already heard notch. Ile consented
to their request, under these couditions. First, that he (Mr.
Marochette) should be present stleverything done by the peasant.
Secondly, in order that he might be fully convinced th:.t the dog
was mad, he, Mr. Marochette, should select one of the patients,
who should only be treated according to the medical course usually
held in estimation. A girl of fi years old Eat chosca for this purpose,
Thor peasant rive to his fourteen patients a strong decoction of the
summit, and fi. geniste lute limonite (about a pound and a half
daily), and v.:named twice a day under the tongue, when, as he
stated, small knots, containing the poison of the madness, must
'orm themselves. As soon as these small knots actually appeared,
which Mr. Manichette himself saw, they were opened and cauterised
with a red hot needle, after which the patient gargled with
the decoction of the gessistery Tbs result of this treatment
was, that all of them (of whom only two, the last bitten, did
net 'Mew these knots) bete dismiesed aired at the end ofd
six weeks, during which time they drank the decoction. But
the little girl, who had been treated aameding to the usual;
methods, was seized with hydrophobic symptoms on the seventh
day, and was dead in eight hours after they first took place. Thul
persons dismissed were seen 3 years afterwards by 31e.Marochate,
and were al sound and well. Five years after this circumstance
tin !Glib 31r. Mkochette had a new opportunity in Pudalia of con-
firming this important ills:every, by the cure of 20 persons. In'
consequerce of his observations, Mr. Marochette believes that the '
hydrophobic poison, otter remaining • short time in the wounds,
fixes itself for a time Whit'r the tongue, at the opening of the ducts
of the glanduL submasillar, which are at each side of the tongue.
string, and there forms those small knots, in which may be felt with I
a probe a fluctuating fluid, which is the hydrophobic fluid. The I
usual time of their appearance seems to be within the third and
ninth day after the bite; and if they arc not opened within
the Gni twenty.four hoses after their formation, the poison'
is reabiorbtti into the body, and the patient is lost beyond power
of cure. Fur this reason, Mr. Maroche:te recommer.ds that such
patients should ix examined mid::: the tongue immediately, which
should be continued for six weeks, during which time they should
take daily one pound and a half of the lh cwt. Genist. (or four
times a daysherwder, one drachm per duel.) It Lila knots do not i
appear in this time, no madness is to be apprehended; but as soon
as they appear they should be opened with a lancet, and then car.
terizal, and the patient should gargle assiduously with the above.
mentioned decoction.

ir U. 11. Rose stated, that he had communicated this plan to a
nun:her of eminent physicians and surgeons, who Jthough they
c,uld of course pronounce no positive opal/NI on a matter of which
. they had nu other knowledge, had concurred in expressing their
pvisuasion that the Ukraine treatment will be found efficacious,
ip.t at all evcos. the present lamentable inefficiency of our means
arre,:ing the frightful malady, made hint feel it to be an

1:rgo:t call -attention to i!ie propo,ol treatment, which he
(ha wi,hut:t hesita,ica, as it was shapk, alai at any rate wholly
CmuNious.

'lrmo etionts--The following paragraph is from a
Kilkenny paper of Saturday.—" At this season every
precaution ought to be employed by tin, authorities
to guard against the appearance of hydrophobia in
towns, wh :re putrid meat and stitguant water are the
chief subsistence of numbers of the canine race. On
inst Lay a dog, evidently in e rabid state, bit a child
and two pigs in Green-street. The father of the child,
who was also the owner of the dog, immediately pur-
sued it with a pitchfork, and it was soon destroyed. If,
after this warning, any person shall suffer here from that
dread:Ul visitation, touch of the blame will li' on the heads
'f the civic authorities. From the multitude of curs that
abound iii the several outlets of this city, the danger is far
flout imaginary, and we trust that measures will be im-
mediately adopted to prevent, as much as possible, the sad
necessity of having to record any snch melancholy cues of
that horrible disease here as have becu of late too frtquently
described in the English papers."
A Frexcit Sroftv.—An anecdote appeared'on Saturday
in the 1)::tble 11.1frux, called "The Schoolmaster and the
Parish Clerk." The fact is thus related : A Protestant
Minister of Aberdeen, en mounting the desk the first Sun-
day in March, found a paper in his bible, on which was
written "yesterday (Satan-day), at ten o'clock at night, re-
turning from Aberdeen, I was stuppA and inurtltrvtl by your
Clerk and the Schoolmaster, and my body thrown into the
Dee.—Pray for Jeremiah lieu'." ,The Minister struck,
with thisnotice, which he bogs') to read aloud, suddenly
stoprtid, and exhorted his parishioners to prayer. On his
return Lome, after long, reflection, he took Lis bible and
went to the Magistrate to cononuilicate this SeSi`gc afiair,
but 011 (yelling ihe paper found it blank. The Mogistrate
tre;:ed it as a vision of a disturbed imagination. Ili,w-
-es(.l, the Mini! ter ins:tted ,instice :i iu
his i:uty if he did not make the tieec6,ary inquiries. Erns
the Clerk's house, hail not been heard (s 7 since the
..bib. but this wits no proof ; however, some
i'le body of Itrus in the river Dee ; still thil

inn

aT.airist the persotts accused, but on exainin:Litt.
bat:; a button teas found in tit • hind which match( d tL
on ihe schoolmaster's coat. This was evith nee : the nertnq
wt re arrested, convicted and ex, cut (I. lint hew explain 0.-
mystery of the rp-r. It appears the Aiinister's servant i:u!
;:one on the :•tattn-ilay to til.tct a fair dams,' of his chore; ;
and thane -d to pass I y the spat and wittirs,;ll the um cl. r.
I% a r:Pg to cornprottlis Iti.eself with the stlottlnntocr and
e rt. l!y a verbal ry, he placed the pap, r in tlie
rt.nte reflection lte considered his hand-wriong might
.•o n, and he removed it and p'seed a l,latck ittp,r in
•.•; ad. being satisfied in having ti. nountted thy ct•itnittals
r: 0 ioen A 5:1.1—.—.% gentleinati calling unan a friend
city, who was attended by acelcbrated pitysician

in tit

1.;..:11 tLzwe ~t cud cf the town, asked the doctor 'if -he aid
not foul it inconveni..nt to come from stir!' a 41:..tmce %