It is during this half-waking sleep that fantastic dreams occur. Dogs appear in my dreams, sometimes many, sometimes only one. When I could go no further, I always awoke. I felt his fangs tearing my dress, my stocking, my thigh. . . . . The infection which attacks the nervous system progresses rapidly, and if the patient is not treated within eleven days of being infected, death is unavoidable.
Early symptoms become more acute.
Saliva runs down the corners of the mouth, in threads down the neck, splashing the clothes of the patient, in whose lap a soaked handkerchief is held. Sharp changes in temperature cause extreme reactions and the skin has now developed an acute sensitivity to heat and cold, making the patient shiver and cover up with heavy blankets one moment, only to throw them on the floor a moment later in reaction to what appears to be intense heat. The senses of sight and sound become heightened. It is during this stage of the illness that any brusque change can cause a violent reaction in the patient, whose behavior becomes totally abnormal without apparent motivation. The fantastic dogs of my morning dreams have wings and fly, though sometimes they simply run so fast they seem not to touch the ground.