New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1848-11-15
Human Hy drophob bin.
Prom cham5erss Ed-a5ur, JouFna


O. suffer from o. TIE diagnosis ci the malady in
che human patient does NOT point O. a catastrophe
altogether Sd shrlpt and trss.cs as In the canine
but 70 e attended BIS circumstances quite - SIMS
Ter Dirty faces. dirty clothes. dirty houses, dirt
all over. are the symptoms which most '0o-lb.y
arrest attention aud yet bad q these are, We
know that there are worse ELECTS underneath the
surface. for where physical dirt goes there also
resides moral degradation.
We know Of no country m Europe wsere
there j. ltte disposition on the part OF the peo
pie as DO ours. = give themselves even that exhi
.aratin- kind ~ sbiur0n which : derived from
bathing. A. the present season. the traveller on
the Continent finds the rivers alive with SWIM
mers aud we remember them swimming down
the Loire Oh Nantes. observing the steamer ire
qlentIy surrounded more especially when near.
ll- the great manufacturing city. with crowds oi
black heads and white shoulders ln Russia
where the people have not got beyond the Middle
AGES the 0Ver classes do nor yet know the use
Of a shirt but wear 10 above their trowsers m the
form ~ kilt They have not, how ever abandon
cd the bath. Toward the end oi the week they
Zee. prickly and uncomfortable sensation in thei-
ssin. and ar length rush eagerly into the hot
steam. and boiling olt she impurities of the pre-
cedins SIX days. begin life again with new vigor.
In sumner they DO not wait tor days and times.
but merely get up an hour earlier and dash into
the nearest pond or river. lu our refined country.
dirt causes no uneasiness It IS allowed % harden
upon the skin. choke up the pores and contami'
nate the whole being, moral and physical. lt
bunts the senses 20 such a degree, that the hus-
band does lot detect t M the wife nor the mother
in the child. All are alike. All have forfeited the
dignity of human nature, and sunk INTO lower
scale oi animal existence.
While mentioning the custom that prevails no
Russia. We are struck with the proof afforded
there OF the connection between moral and physi.
cal cleanliness. The state of the bath house OF the
hamlet Is an uniaiung index 90 the character and
position Ot the inhabitants II 10 s neat aud trim,
the people are good and happy and their ieudai
lord kind aud cOeiderate % poor and ruluous,
there is tyranny on the one hand. misery on the
other and depravity on both.
ln respect of lts consciousness, or inclination
% spread. the human malady seems not bit be
hind the canine although certainly the immediate
symptoms are iess virulent. To has been implied
that the stain of dirt extends from the skin o the
individual over his life and conversation. But Il
does more than that II contamlnates his family
IL daubs his neighbOrs IL forms a nucleus round
which mpurity gathers and strengthens. and
spreads Insignificant at first IN itself. II becomes
a social evil of Importance. IL IS one of the units
which gives It's character % the aggregate and.
rising out of a thing which 40 first was only scorn-
Ell from good taste. stunned from individual re-
puenauce. or laughed ar out of sheer folly, We see
spreading over the land, vice misery, pestlIence.
and death. Yet we observe the symptoms OF this
formidable disease with n CLASSY aud indifferent
eve. while those OF canine hydrophobia inspire MS
with horror and alarm, and drive ms 10 dog-murder
IN selfdcfence
The dread of water Is seen IN the human subject
10 another form, Do which 70 IS attended by IN
f.rent class of ehects-dflerent, but not very un.
remotely allied 90 me preceding. Almost every
where the use OF water rs a beverage appears 60
be teit rs n sort OF original doom, designed ms p
penalty tor the sins OF mankind and everywhere
are ehoits made t0 Disguise lt ln some way so that
the patient may be made 70 believe That he IS swa
lowing something else. Much ingenuity has been
expended upon tins curious process but in Ger
tain conditions of society 10 seems 10 be OF little
consequence what taste IS superadded, or by what
means the superaddtion Is made The grand thmg
is fraHsM0gsIfc0fi0H. Among the poorer classes
in China detection Of cabbage leaves IS ielt MS
n relief among Che upper the tinrfure of the more
elegant tea leaf is employed. lu the " estern
world the refuse of fruit and grain subjected %
fermentation and distilliug, IS brought Ato reqw
siton The Norman converts his good cider INTO
execrab'e brandy. the other French ma.trent their
VINE ia q similar way M hnssia the s.ckenin3
Glass becomes the maddening yotk M scotland
honest tv o penny Is subiimated into whisky aud
~ on Throughout the whole haDltabe world. That
this sort Of hydrOphObia is merely modification
of the other is established hy the iact that they
who most abhor water as a cleanser. abhor u most
as a drink. a clearly person vii frequently con
descend % "a le draught of the pure element IS IN
his meals but you never saw man with dirty
face - hO would not greatly prefer some poisonous
and IN tasting compound 1t the tables of the upper
classes you ind the water karat most in demand
at those OF the lower classes the beer jug. Inc
quality of the beer is OF no consequence. we
never knew 10 s. freely drank in our own neigh
borhood as az a time some twenty years ago.
when the sole effect of the worthy brewer man
uiacture was declared = De ID spoH me raier.-
Even among the abstalners from these deleterOus
liquors. there are many who must stiii have tneir
water disguised hence their extensive patronage
OF lemonade. ginger beer, aud other weak though
comparatively lnuOcuOus mixtures. lhc "Lole at
fair reminds US of a literary work published in
London nearly wenty years ago, By Bond-street
haIr-dresser. which gave a sort OF catalogue resume
of the various materials used tor latheung the
beani-aA exceptone for the magnanlmous bar
Der scOned % men,iOn-soap
The connection between the worst symptoms OF
the two kinds of hydrophobia We have described
needs little illustration. TIE dirtier an individual
il DO his person, family, house, neiglOorhood. the
more pestlent are the eXpcdlents he ialls upon
for Disgusting the taste ot the abh0ued atef Ia
other words the progress OF the disease IS natuf-
ally exhibited IN the intensity OF rs symptoms-
4 man OF sublime cleanliness may be found drink
ng pure water. with a little talnt Of human weak
ness one NAV indulge, likewise, but only occasion
ally and ia moderation. IN beer, ale. VINE, oreyen
stronger brewlngs while your true hydrophOolst
"A dlngv. vulgar desperate whom the very chill
dren 0n the street know and detect even ~nen
be happens o be s0ber-stupefes himself haoitu-
ais with the worst form Of alcohol. Doesu not
appear that there s an unjust distinction made IN
our treatment Of human and canine patients T.
We DO not propose that the former should be boot
Cd and hunted ike the after out OF society or that
they should be maalsd with sticks and stones or
shot, poisoned, hanged or drowned. They might
not ike L. Il might cause some discomfort 10
would perhaps be better o. let 10 alone. and try 70
manage some other way. Bat what other way
How would pump answer az the end Of every
street % be worked by the police passer-Dy
caught In the fact Of hydrophooia, whether tie
dirty or drunken form Of the disease might be
p01lced upon and put under the spout when NE
remedy administered might be propOftoned % the
intensity Of the malsdy. To say that this would
be an infringement Of the liberty Of the subject Is
nonsense Tor II society has not the night % re
press CONTAGIOUS disease by any means ID rs
power We might as well lay aside the habits Of
civilization al once and betake ourselves again o
woods and caves Peter the Great as the abiest
doctor In the world. and o would net be aniss %
We were . take lesson from bis school Tie
grand obstacle DO the way Of bis project ior evil
iziny Russia was the bearis Of the mobiles. To
EXPECT - teach European refinement % man
with a great matted. beastly beard, vas our OF
the question and he tired by every Deiuah Ike
srratagem be could think Of, % shear On the
strength Of barbarism. All would not DO and Pc