The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1871-08-23
A Baby Dies OF Hydrophobia-An Awful
Case The Child Tears It's Clothing and
BarkS Like a Dog.

case The Child Tears It's Clothing an,
Barks Like Dog.
A little son of John McGinuis, ar
employee at the stock yards, died last
Saturday morning Of hydrophobia.
The age Of the child was one ) ear and
lime months. The casc is somewhat
singular enc, and therefore wo give II
with some particularly of detail
Very few cases are on record of the
fearful comp laint attacking ono &C
young. The position taken by cer-
tain authorities that the disease is
simply Of the Imagination is here
proved to be uutenablo. An unrea-
souing infant, just beginning to prat,
tic, is mt likely to be so disturbed
by the fear of imaginary physical
troubles as to be in this manUer hur.
ried out of the world.
The child was bitten a little over
month ago. The mother had one
day seated it on tho ground at tho
back door of the house, when large
Newfoundland dog belonging to o
butcher named Shnlor, living in the
neighborhood, came suddenly rush
ing up to the child and bit it. No
one was about the house had seen Il is
animal previously.
Three ugly wounds wcro inflicted
upon the tender infant by the ravag-
ing animal one at the side of the
left temple, another between the
eyes, and the third on the top of the
head near the edge Of the hair. The
brute showed every symptom of mad.
ness, foaming at the mouth, swapping
at every thing 1T passed, without stop
ping to vent its rage upon any particu-
lar object.
The wounds upon the child soon
healed, only one slight scar on the
nose remaining. The matter faded
from the recollection Of the parents.
Last Wednesday morning the infant
began to show singular signs of irrita-
tlon and commenced tearing off its
clothes, at the same time uttering low,
wa'ling cries, and complaining Of
thirst. But when water was offered
to it the most distressing writhing Of
jaws and convulsive move ments of the
face and throat followed. No one
seemed at first to know the real cause
of the trouble. The startled mother
did all in her power to restore her
infant to ease and quiet. Thinking
it might be suffering from the heat,
she took off some of the superAuous
clothing. The wise women of the
neighborhood gathered in and gave
their diagnosis of the disease. Some
said the compliant was diptheria, and
some said the poor little thing was
tcetbing.
All day Wednesday the little suf-
ferer exhibited the same symptoms,
seeming, however, all tho time to suf-
for more acutely. It pulled and tug
ged at its clothing with such energy
as to tear off the buttons, and threw
its arms about in tho most ugopized
manner.
This continued until Friday night,
neither the mother nor the child
sleeping. The infant took no
nourishment during all this time, and
when water was offered went into
eonvulsions, seeming to reject it with
horror.
DR.. ". w. Goodman, living at tho
Rock Island car works, was sutn oncd
on Friday evening. He at once told
the grief.strickcn parents that their
child was dying of hydrophobia, and
nothing could be done to save it. He
administered morphia without effect.
The child was apparently in the last
stage Of the disease. IN It's ccmyul-
sions it seemed endowed ith prefer
natural strength.
Tho foam which issued from it's
mouth was. stained with blood. 1t
uttered on in,essant whine, which
those about it compared to the whin-
ing Of dog. Whenever the hands
of those attending it approached its
face the efforts to bite were manifest
ly canine. Although but just COM
mencing TO talk, it repeatedly uttered
tho word "dog" during the night pre-.
coGing its death, as it had som mohow in
it's diseased infantile brain mysteri-
ously associated tho idea of its pres
ont suferings with its being bitten .
month before.
At 8 o'clock on Saturday death
came to the relief of the sufferer.
From Wednesday morning until this
hour no nourishment and not a drop
Of water had passed its lips. Tho
case is peculiar one, and should at
tract the general attention of the
medical world.