Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1873-02-27

ing the boy received speck OF the boys
saliva on his lip. From that moment
although assured it could not be COM
Municated in that way, he was tortured
with the apprehension that he had the
disease, and soon the symptoms he had
witnessed in the boy displayed them.
selves. He raved in most furious
manner, refused water and frothed at
the mouth. When physicians present
remarked in his hearing that certain
symptoms which marked the former
case were absent in his he Immediately
initiated those symptoms. aFrom ex-
.haustion however, he fell into pro-
found slumber and walked, well" This
was case Of simulated hydrophobia. !
Such eases, and thoses where by
means Of flowing blood the virus is
washed away or by the clothes is kept
out of the wound, and others when the
! animal was only supposed to be, but
not in fact rabid, furnish thelfoundation
of reported cures by ridiculous nos
trums, madstones, &c. A thousand
dollars was paid to a man for revealing
the composition Of remedy, which;
was believed to have cured or prevenA
ted many cases Of hydrophobia. He
had administered it to many persons
bitten under circumstances where there
was little danger of incubation, and.
they OF course usually escaped the dis
ease, and gave him honest certificates
OF their. cure. a.; = y,
The medicine that seemed to have.
produced impossible results was this ::
"Nine leaves Of sage gathered in the
night, and in the wane of the moon, the
marrow of dogs jaw, and the false
tongue Of foal,', ..
;. BY such remedies which are harmless
in their effects says DR.. Smith, 'the
precious opportunity to avert so terri
tile a disease is lost, as l myse f have
witnessed.
This awful warning from so high
source as DR.. Nathan r. Smith, of Balti-
more, should be spread before the igno-
rant masses that it may reach every
hamlet and at least offer the means Of
prevention, and then the duty of the
journals and the profession is fully per-
formed, and at least zone consolation
will be left, that those who fall a prey
to this ma ady have spurned the advice
of friends, and voluntarily submitted to,
and nursed the poison to- fatality. The
present state OF knowledge in the medic
al profession furnishes no remedy for
hydrophobia H." :,
1t appears that the only rational
course is to defeat the malady in the
interval between incubation, and the
inception oft disease This can only
be accomplished by remouia,g all the
yi'-ets from the around before the local
symptoms appear. This accomplished,
by any means, defeats the malady Just
as certainly as the effects of vaccine
virus would be defeated by thoroughly
washing the part with soap and water
within an hour after its introduction.
If hydrophooia virus is not removed
before the Slight irritation- and .redness
in the scar appears, preparation for
death is the only rational course. Ev-
cry moment lost by the victim in val n
endeavors to purchase the lost future of
this life is wrested from the short peri
cd allowed the waning mind to prepare
for the certain and swift approach
of death.
To prevent this. malady the means
are usually at hand, convenient and
cheap. n'' "a i
DR.. Smith gives the following which
his practice has proved to be effectual:
''Wash with strong soap and water;
as soon as possible obtain a piece Of
caustic potash from the druggist, cut it
in the shape of the wound, it deep, in
sert it, holding it there for a quarter of
a minute however painful it may be.
In the absence Of solid potash pour
boiling water on wood ashes straining
out the ley and boiling it down to the
consistency Of molasses. Apply. with a
stick. # the wound is mere scratch
it. is the more dangerous, wipe it over
briskly with the. caustic. If caustic po-
fash cannot be procured, nitric acid
(aquafortis) or sulphuric acid (oil of
vitriol) may. be used. "Milder caustics
which do not destroy the surface of
the wound in which the poison is lodg-
ed, are not worthy of confidence Now,
although l have run this too long, the
maidstone must be noticed. | never
saw one. They are ignored by the pro-
fession as worthless and are never even
referred to by it. But as it is a thing
Of great curative or preventive value,
or of infinite mischief, it should not be
treated with silent indifference in its
work of good or ILL., 1t can produce
harm only in the prevention Of other
remedies and in its mechanical action
in pressing more firmly the poison in
the flesh and possibly provoking more
rapid fermentation or earlier virulence
or possibly in inoculating the virus
from one patient into another. On the
other hand it may absorb and extract
the poison and defeat the disease Hy-
drophobia virus is supposed to retain its
/; original innoxious state until the pro-
cess of incubation in the flesh is COM
pleted. ~ i. 3A~::a4 -
This seems to result in decomposition
Of the virus; and with reference to its
action on the system, conoe sion from
dormant to dctiue poison.
A combination with the circulating
fluids to which the virus was not be-
fore adapted, now ensues; and this un-
ion constitutes the active virulence of
the poison, Immediately communicating
the whole body. 1.-THE maidstone could
avail to purify body SO poisoned and
bring it to the healthy stateit must con-
tain some chemical antidotes. and i'm
part them to the system. This under
stand is not claimed by its yotaries. In