Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-11-16
FACTS RELATING TO nYpRoPuoBIA.

Eihman's Journ. L of Science for October. Just
received, like all tho prcvUu, numbers which
have road, is replco with valuable aud interesting
matter. Among other articles which have attract
cd our attention, * letter from the Rev. w Case
Ut Chester, Conn. to the Editor, giving the partcu
lars of four remarkable cases resembling hydro.
phoba W hich occurred in that township, sad which
favor tho idea, not only ha, the canine virus may
take effect many years after il has been received mt
tho system, but that coutrarr t. tho opinions usv
ally entertained, 1t may bc communicated from ono
person to anuther. Wo suboin SO much of III,
letter as relates to these particular casos-[N. Y.
Jour. Com.
CHESTER, Oct. II, 1892
Dear Sir--ln compliance with your 70 quest I
have endeavored TO collect the facts Respecting the
supposed cases OF hydrophobis in this place and
the transmission of the poison from ono human
being /" another l ought, perhaps, to state that
mos, Ut tho physicians, consulted i'm the .hrco case.
of supposed transmission from one human being
to arn,hor, attributed their death to some other
disoaSe, such might DO supposed to be attended,
by symptoms rnilar to those which charac,erizc
TINS maiady. II is believed, however, that the ma
terial fictr, in these cases, never fully made
known to th"so gentlemen. Nnighbors and attend
ants, in whose possession they were, feared. per.
haps, tn disclose them.
In 1907, w. c." was biticn and wounded Nv
mad dog, when at tho age Of eleven years aud on
his way home from school AHer biting this YOUTH
the dog confined in small apartment in his
owners house where no was by many por.
sons, and where he exhibited all tho symptom. of
"yur"phohia NNPcrSoh, IN company with others,
WIN gun in hand, assembled the chamber stairs,
displaced pr, of the floor. and through the apor.
ture shot the dog. These facts are a,tes,cd l,y
man who WAS an eyewitness, and thoy arc zorro.
oorated by many others.
AT thu time of the bite, in 1907 W. C.. is said IN
have had Il feeble constitution but it is testified on
all hands that he grow Gp without sickness. Ut is
sand, he conducted strangely. by turus, some time
before his last sickness. Tne dis ,Iso appc ,rod i'm
him fifteen years after the bite, aud was preceded
by metal irrcgnarty. Hn had short season Of
strange excitement during public worship the
sabbath. Al noighbor's house, the next day, ho
suddenly jumped, screamed, broke windows and
ran out at tho door, with great nimbcness of foot
tie soon became quiet and returned, and when his
friends demonstrated with him for such conduct, ho
said he could not avoid doing thus. for he had been
bitten by mad dog. During the progress o. { @
disease he CRASHED his teethI discharged largo
quantities of saliva, had distressing sp,sms, aud
was set on biting every body and every thing. Tho
pillow cases, through which he made hoes, by ta-
king hem in his teeth m shaking them, arc now
to be seen. He spit on persons who in, and
on all parts oi the room. Hc averse To swal-
low ing any thing. lie watched for opportunities
to bite persons and if he could bite any seem
cd TO ailord him pleasure, and follow ed by
laughing. lilo lived after his attack If or Is DAYS
1T required four or two able TO attend upon
him. He dicd September lst 1922, aged twenty.
six years.
l.: T. c., S. w. II. and C. c., brother of w.
c., were all bitten by w. G.. while attending on him
in his last sickness. The bite in thcsc three cascss
drew forth htood from the hand or wrist, and this
fact is otiosed Ivy many witnesses. These three
cases N Gre preceded bv mental anxiety, and follow.
cd by spasms, deiirium and lucid intervals
The first spasms were Of short duration, and
attended by jumping, hopping and screaming.
Successive spHsms continued longer and became
more scvcrc-Thc eyes Of all assumed n CLASSY
and wa,tery appearance. What have termed dis .
char 80 of saliva, was: in all these cases, called
trothng at the mouth.
l.. i. G. was strong athletic man; he was bit
l,, ,ftar.n Il
weeks died March ID, 1896, aged 80 wears. Some
weeks before his CONTINENT the exhibited symp-
toms of mental alteration! lie would hop back
ward and for wards and talk incohorcnly, for a few
mnnics and then say he sorry he conducted
so, but he could not avoid it. His attendants say
the taking of waller or drink made him rave. "A
spectator observes, that he some times called for
drinks when it seemed if he thought they
would he refreshing, and do him good but
sooner had he led his mouth with tie fluid, than
he would spirit il III the fice of him who offered it
and decline swallowing the drink. So strong was
his aversion to swallowing. that near relative |
questions whether he could swallow. Another /
says that drinks sometimes forced down; but |
he shnddered at swallowing. With his mouth no
seized by the arm, person attending upon him,
and through thick clio, hing, left upon his flesh the
print ofhis teeth. He Immediately shid, Now
have hurt you and | sorry; hut j could not
avoid ii, must either DIE myself or bite YOU" If
he had not bccn confined, says ono, have no doubt
he would have hilton every person in the room.
A part of the time it required seven able bodied
men to keep him TO his bed and in his chamber.
1t is said that he not known to walk to or from
the bed; but always lenped off and upon the floor;
he would whir suddenly around and shift his posi-
ton the bed, and sit on his feet, and the bye
ISLANDERS imagined that he initiated the motions
and tho barking of dog. EIe frothed at his mouth
and ran out his tongue. He spirited drink into tho
face of his attendants. spit them, every body
and every thing, and all over the roon.5 His Of.
forts in spasms exhibited such strength as literally
10 frightcn his attendants.
5. w. H. sickoned and died August 10, 1927,
aged thirty years. He sick five days. AL
though no had boen for years subject to cpl
lepsy, yet there was appearance of this disease
in his last sickness. lilo bitten by w. C.. IN
1872 and cirried the scar of the bite to his gravo
AZ the tine there was no general apprehension of
hydroph"bIa, nor any excitement tho subiert
1t Is not known that the tact OF his bite was men
toned 10 his physician. His diseas wa pronoun
ced to be something else. Whatever il might have
been it preceded by mental anxiety and at
tended by the following symptoms. He at first
inclined to wander from HIS house and gave ipdi
cations OF mental alteration, and of great dread
of water He resided near small lake and be-
fore being confined TO tho room, requested his
companion to keep han from the water, and be
sure and not let him get into that lake. if he did it
would XII him. He is represented as wing had
III the first stages Of his disease, n constant dread
OF water, but hours before l,c died no called
for some and drank of it. Before his spasns com
msncod hc entrea'cd his wife, that if he should be
a" w L. was, she would procure some strong man
to take care OF him. and bc careful to get como one
who would make hrnl mind, lest he should hurt
others During ono of his spnsms he bit his tongue
and looscncd a piece of IT. He requested his " lie
10 take tn scissors and il out, but care
and not get any of tho blood her, lie would
take dr'nks 10 Obligo his friends and attendants
hut they say, no always swallowed with n convul-
siVe effort such as they cannot describe. The die
position 20 wander continued to tho last. He ,ried
various cxpcdiens 10 be released, and to escape
| Ir would 6x ne nj,