The Portsmouth inquirer. [volume] (Portsmouth, O. [Ohio]) 1849-1855, 1850-12-30
Hyoropho.ola.

M. Buisson has written to the Paris Acad-
emy of Sciences, to claim as his, small
treatise on hydropbobia, addressed to the acad-
emy so far back as 1885, and signed with a
single initial. The case referred to in that
treatise was his own. The particulars, and
the mode of cure adopted, were as follows
He had been called TO visit woman who,
for three days, was said to be suffering under
this disease. She had the usual symptoms
construction of the throat, inability to swal-
low, abundant secretion of saliva, and foam
ing at the mouth. Her neighbors said that
she had been bitten by mad dog about fcrty
DAYS before. At her own urgent entreaties,
she was bled, and died a few hours after, as
was expected. .
M. Buisson, who had his hands covered
with blood incautiously cleansed them with
towel which had been used to wipe the
mouth Of the patient. He then had an ul-
ceration upon one of his fingers, yet thought
it sufficient to wipe off the saliva that adbe-
red, with little water. The ninth day af-
ter, being in his cabriolet, he was suddenly
seized with pain in his throat, and one still
greater, in his eyes. The saliva was contin-
ually pouring into his mouth; the impress
ion Of current of air, the sight Of brilliant
bodies, gave him painful sensation; his
body appeared to him so light that he felt as
though ne could leap to prodigiocs height.
He experienced, he said, wish to run and
bite, not men, but animals and inanimate
bodies. Finally, he drank with difficulty,
and the sight of water was still more distress
sing to him than the pain in his throat
These symptoms recmred every five minutes
and il appeared to him as though the pain
commenced in the affected finger, and thence
the shoulder.
From the whole of the symptoms, he
judged himself afflicted with hydrophobia,
and resolved to terminate his life by sitting
himself in vapor bath. Having entered
one for this purpose, he caused the heat to be
raised to l07 deg 80 sec. Fahr., when he was
equally surprised and delighted to find him
self free from all complaint. He left the
bathing room we'll, dined heartily and drank
more than usual Since that time he says,
he has treated in the same manner more than
eighty persons bitten, in four of whom the
symptoms had declared themselves; and in
no case has he failed, except in that of one
child, seven years old, who died in the bath.
The mode Of treatment he recommends is,
that the person bit should take certain mum
Der Of vapor baths Commonly called Rus
sian) and should induce every night vio-
lent perspiration, by wrapping himself in
hannels, and covering himself with a feath-
er bed, the perspiration is favored by drinking
freely Of warm decoction Of sarsaparilla.-
He declares, SO convinced is he Of the effica-
icy Of his mode Of treatment, that he will
suffer himself to be inoculated with the dis
ease. AS a proof Of the utility Of copious
and continual perspiration, he relates the fol-
lowing anecdote: A relative Of the musician
Gretry, was bitten by mad dog, at the:.same
time with many other persons, who all died
Of hydrophobia. For his part, feeling the
first symptoms Of the disease, he took to
dancing, night and day, saying that he wish.
ed to die gayly. He recovered. X. BuissonI
also cites the old stories of dancing being a
remedy for the bite of tarantula; and draws
attention to the fact, that the animals in.
won this madness is smostly found TO deyelon
itself spontaneously, are dogs, wolves, and
foxes, which never perspire. s,,.
lll $780, -ls,,r-~%.-- lfN
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