The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1872-08-01
MsefaI aud Curious.


A celebrated London physician, in latter to .
professional friend, at Leeds, says: every year
produces an infallible nostrum for hydrophobia.
The malady, nevertheless exists in all its unknown
mystery and terror. Except that il IL believed
to be purely o disease of the nervous system,
nothing is known Of the virus or its laws Of prop
agstion; 30 have long dismissed keeping list
Of remedies for the developed disease Yet yOu
will be astonsaed If add, dhat believe it never,
or almost never, need be taken even from the
matdest of dogs. Ab0ut twenty-five years ago,
more or less, I was sent for to see the present
Lord then fine, healthy lad, who, it was
said, had been licked, not only over the lips but
within the mouth, by little terrier. which was
found sitting on the sleeping lads chest and dip
ping his tongue into his masters open mouth,
The demeanor of the dog alarmed the Lord L.,
and was called in to ascertain the fact Of the
dog being or not being mad:
"N0w on this point did not consider myself
any authority, and so sent for Sir Benjamin Bro
die, who, though agreeing with me rs to the
probable madness ofthe dog, nevertheless desired
that tho late Mr.. YOnatt, the veterinary surgeon
and most remarkable man, should be appealed to.
He at once pronounced the dog AZ labOring I'M
der hydrOphObia, and, turning to me, added: If
you will come to me in five days to our dog hos
pital. we can dissect the animal did 80, aud
found the dog dead, and Youatt busy in opening
the carcass, l naturally was shy in touching the
animal, and asked him ifhe were not afraid. No.
he answered, Il have repeatedly been bitten by
most unOOuDteu p8tlcutb- ttucTc were several In
cribs there then, which I saw alive)-and
never have any fear / asked him how often he
had been bitten; he told me eight times; and then
he called his assistant porter and asked him how
often he had been bitten; he, think, owned to
at least eight and believe ten, undOubted in
Productions the virns; and, be it remembered,
that the attacks or bites were all the hands
of these men, SO could not be wiped of by any
intervening garment:
"Youatt then told me that his remedy was to
allow the common nitrate Of silver, easily procu-
rable, filter into the wound; it decOmposes the
saliva, and in doing this destroys the virus.
Whenever I am bitten have remedy sure and
ut hand, and no fear of the disease supervening.
The actual cautery, the canstic potass and exeis-
ion, are in my opinion. unsafe and liable to fail
The nitrate Of silver. chases the poison into the
very capillaries and neutralizes it. Since have
known this always use it to any bite Of dog,
sound or not, and am ut rest. The above was
stated in some blue book about thirty years ago,
by Youatt. BrOdie and acted on il, and made
poor young Lord Is lips palate and throat
as black as that of thorough bred mad terrier :;
and he, if you ever see him, will tell you this
tale.
The poison Of hydrophobia remains latent on
an average six weeks; the part heals over, bnt
there is n pimple or wound, more less irritable
it then becomes painful, and the germ, whatever
it is, becomes ripe for dissemination into the sys-
between the time Of the bite and the activity of
the wound previous to dissemination, the canstic
or nitrate Of silver is q sure preventive; after
that it IL rs useless as all the other means. The
best mode of application Of the nitrate Of silver is
by introducing it sodly into the wound. If
healed over, the cicatrix should he rubbed and
causticated away entirely"