The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1871-01-20
Miscellaneous.
HYDROPIIOBIA.
BY PROF.. N. II. SMITH.

liN'o Nilth uiIl uDOuu W DuDllSI HAY
never reach those who are interested,
except through the columns of news.
paper, take this method of imparting
them without further apology, especi-
ally as the universal popular ignorance
on the subject is often permissive Of fa-
tai results.
| have seen recently in the public
prints notices of several deaths by this
most terrible of diseases, in which the
fatal results might haye been easily
averted had the simple facts which l
here publish been known to the suffer-
ors or their friends. l haye often re.
preached myself for not having sooner
made this communication, not that the
profession are ignorant of what / pub
lish, but that the public are lamenta-
bly, so.
The virus or poison which propagates
hydrophobia exists in the saliva of the
rabid animal. 1t is not injected through
the tooth into the wound, rs is the ven
ON of the rattlesnake, or as is the ven
ON Of the bee, through the sting. The
poison merely besmears the tooth, as
the lancet is coated with virus in vac.
mating. There is another very import
ant distinguishing fact in regard to its
effect on the wounded part. 1t produ-
ce5 no irritation, no immediate effect.
Like the vaccine virus, or that of the
small poX, it has certain period of in.
cubation, or zymotic process before the
system becomes affected. This period,
in the production of canine madness, is
happily long, as compared with the pc.
riod Of incubation of other poisons.
The period varies, but it is commonly
about six weeks, and then, before con.
stitutional disease is developed, slight
irritation occurs in the scar, and red
list of intlamed absorbents is seen eX-
tending up the member. When these
phenomena take place there is no hope;
the constitutional symptoms follow i'm
mediately. But if during the long peri
cd which precedcs the local symptoms
the proper remedies be employed, and
especially soon after the bite, the pre-.
vention of the disease is almost Ger.
tain.
Contrary to the common belief, a
deep wound inflicted by the bite is less
likely to be followed by hydrophobia
than is slight scratch, abrading the
skin, for reason that ought to be obvi.
ous-the copious efTusion of blood wash
cs away the poison.
Some years ago 1 treated in Balti
more a case of fatal hydrophobia, whicl
originated thus: boy was bitten deep
ly on the cheek by pet dog, whicl
flew at him without provocatiOn. Tht
master of the dog struck the anima
with his hand, and received Il scratch
on his hand. The dog ran off and wa;
never seen. The wound in the boy.
,, cheek bled freely, and in consequence
was washed freely. The scratch on the
mans hand was treated by an old lady
with salt. The man pcrished in sin
weeks in the agonies Of hydrophobia
The boy escaped, though possibly be
cause | opened the scar and cauterizet
it deeply, for possibly the poison nigh
still he incubating there.
When persons are bitten through clio
thing, perhaps two garments, the poi5
on may be all wiped from the tooth
and the bite prove inocuous, but no
certainly. a large majority, however
of those bitten through clothing, escape
the disease. These are the cases il
which ridiculous nOstrums unfOrtun
90 ,Ix,n nt ion for, nrnNpp 4 N
the disease, it being generally supposed
that the bite of rabd dog is neccssari
ly followed by hydrophobia, unles
some preventive remedy be employed
A person in one of the Norther
States once received reward of
thousand dollars for revealing the com
position of remedy which was be
lieved to have cured or prevented man.
cases of hydrophobia. lie had admin
istefed it to many persons who ha
been bitten through clothing and ha
never gone mad. They gave him thei
honest certificates that they believe
themselves TO have been cured of ny
drophobia. The composition of til
nostrum proved to be "ninc leaves c
o sage gathered in the night in tn
:; wanc of the moon. the marrow Of
r dogs jaw, and the false tongue of
II foal."
Il The use of such nostrum does no d
y rect harm, but confidence in it does ia
o tai mischief, because it precludes tn
{ use of rational proven lives. There
c no neighborhood in which there is nC
Il some old woman who declares, anC
5 perhaps, honestly believes that sh
{ can prevent or cure hydroph )bia, and
Z perhaps, by the use of such rem edies t II
y precious opportunity to avert so terribl
Y a disease is lost, as | have mys III wit
IS messed.
= have been "A hundred times calle
!; upon by persons bitten by dogs know
n not to be rabid, but yet these pessOl
o were tortured by the apprehension thG
should the dog that inflicted the bit
1t ever 90 mad, they would themselves b
o affected with hydrophobia. This Woul
/, be simply ridiculous were ii not tha
1; so many believe it. A person might t
y well fear having smallpox, who haC
70 five years ago, shaken hands with
4. man that now has it.
50 1t is the practical part of this commit
a nication which is important. We cal
< not cure this terrible disease when one
developed. 1t is true that there ofte
ID occur in the public prints, and SOM
y. times in medical journals, notices Of G
4, ses cured by certain powerful remedie
A. such as chloroform, atrOpia, woorar
lie the cannabis, &c. But when these rem
er dies have been tried in other cases the
" have utterly failed.
lg Remedies acquire false reputatiC
or for the cure of hydrophobla by beir
~ employed in spurious cases of that dl
t; ease, Nervous persons who have be,
G. bitten by healthy animals, fancy tn
's they have the disease, and they imita