Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1871-01-05
(From the Baltimore Sun.
HYDROPHORIA. =

III pAoI INDIA.
Medical communications, should, as
rule, be given to the public only throuxl
medical journals, but as the importan
facts which l am abou; 10 publish ma
never reach those who areSptcrested -
cept through the columns of a neanpsI
per, / take this meshod of in,par.iIg then
without further apology. especially q
the universe. popular ignqgance on tlsl
subject is often pern.issive of fatal q
suias. -,-, ,-s.-..---... -.
have seen recently in. the public print
notices of several deaths hy this most Ter.
ribic of diseases. in which the fatal result.
might have been easily. ay-rted had tn,
slulple facts Which | here publish beer
known to'the sufferers or their friends -
| have often reproachei myself for no
having sooner made this communication
not that the profession. are ignorant Of
what | publish, but tha; the public arc Ia.
mentally so.
The virus or poison which propa gate:
hydrophobia exists in the saliva oS IN,
rabid animal. 1t is not injected through
the tooth iuto the wound, as is the venom
OF the rattlcsnake. or rs is the venom OF
the bee, through the sting The poison
merely besmaars the tooth, as the lancet
is coated with the virus in vaccinating =
There is another very important distin-
gushing fact in regard to its etFec, on the
wouhded part. 1t produces no irritation,
no imuedlate effect. hike the vaccine
virus. or that of the smallpox, it has a
certain period of incubation, or zymotic
process before the system becomes affec-
ted. This period, in the production Of
canine madness, is happily long, as com.
pared with the period . Of incubation of
other poisons. The period varies, but it
is commonly about six weeks. and then,
before constitutional disease is developed
slight irritation occurs in the scar, and
a red let of infamcd absorbents is seen
extending up the member. When these
phenomena takes place there is no hope
the constitutional symptoms follow immc-
diately. But il, durin. the long period
which rrccedcs the local symptoms, the
proper remedies be employed, and especi-
ally soon after the bite, the prevention of
the disease is almost certain.
Contrary to the common belief, deep
wound inflicted by the bite is less likely
to be followed by hydrophobia. than is a
slight scratch, abrading the skin, for a
reason that ought to be obvious CO.
pious cifusion of blood washed awayasthe
poison.
Some years ago treated in Baltimore
case of fatal hylrophibia. which origi-
mated thus: \ boy was bitten deeply on
the check by 4 pet dog which few at him
without rroYocation. The master of the
dog struck the animal with his hand. and
received a scratch on his hand. The dog
ran of aud was never seen. The wound
in the boys check blcd freely. end in con-
sequence was washed freely. The scratch
on the mans hand was treated hy an old
lady with salt. The man pcrishcd in six
weeks in the asonics of hyirophobia. -
The boy escaped. though possibly because
| opened the scar and cauterized it deep
ly, for possibly the poison might still be
incubating there
When persons are bitten through cloth
ing, perhaps two garments, the poison
may be all wiped from the tooth, and the
bite prove innocuous, but not certainly
\ large majority. however, of those bit
ten through clothing escape the disease.
These are the eases in which ridiculous
nostrums unfortunately acquire reputation
for preventing the disease, it being gen
orally supposed that the bite Of rabid
dog is necessarily followed by hylropl,o-
bia, uuless some preventive remedy be
employed.
\ person in one ef the Northern States
once received a reward of thousand dol
lars for revealing the composition of 4 rem
edy which was believed to have cured or
prevented many cases of hydrophobia.-
He had administered it to many persons,
who had been bitten through clothing and
had never gone mad. They gave him
their honest certificates that they believed
themselves to have been cured of hydro
phobia. The composition Of the nostrum
proved 10 be mine leaves of sage, gath
cred in the night ana tho wane of the
moon. the marrow of Il dogs jaw, and The
false tongue Of n foal."
The use Of such nostrGm does no d.
. rect harm. but confidence in It does fatal
mischief, because it preclules the use o'
rational preventiyas. There is no neigh
borhool in which there is no. seme old
woman who declares. and, perhaps. hon
! eS;ly bclieges. that she can prevcas or cur,
hyirophoIia. and. perhaps, by the use o
her remedies the precious opportunity {,
avert 50 terrible disease is lost, As have
myself witnessed
have been hundred times called upo,
by persons bitten by dogs known not Il
be rab;l, but vet these persons we're tor.
turci by the apprehension that, shout,
the dug that inflicted the bite ever =,
mad, they would themselves. be affecse.
with hydrophobja. This would b. siia
, ply ridiculous were it not that 50 NAM
believe it. \ person might rs well fca
having smallpox who had, Ave years ago
I shakea hands with = man who nsw Ia.
it,
|. is the practical part of this eommu
nieation which is important. We cauno
cure this terrible disease when once Dc
velopei. |, Is true that there often oecu
in the public prints, and sometimes il
medical journals, notices Of cases cure,
by certain powerful remedies. such a
ehlorofcrn,. atroria. woorara. the canua
b's. e.. But when these remedies hav
hcca tried in other cases they have utter
" failed.
Remedies acquire false reputation &
tha cure ol h,,lroplr,l.ia b. itie. cmplay
u N spurious ISIS u that lise-se. NJ