The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1874-07-09
HYDR0PHORIA.
What is known About This Dread
DiseaSe-The Opinion of Eminent
European Physicians-How Dog
Fancier Cures Himself.
From the London Times June ,.

From the London Times, June ..
THE FEAR OF HYDROPHoBA.
An alarm about canine madness is one
that is almost certain to occur periodically
with the occurrence of hot weather, al
though il has long been known to all who
are practically acquainted with the subject
that neither season nor temperature eXerts
any. practical influence upon the preva-
lence of the disease. In England, where
dogs are so often killed in mere panic, no
trustworthy statistics with reference to
this part of the question can be obtained.
In France, where careful observations
have been made, it has been shown that
the difference between the different periods
of the year is only trivial, but that, in fact,
more authenticated cases of rabies occur
in spring. The summer and winter quar-
tiers afford each about the same number,
and the autumn quarter is the least severe
ly visited. During the six years from
1863 to 1868 the French departmental re-
ports recorded SO cases during March,
April and May; "a during June, July and
August: 64 during September, October and
! November: and 10 during December, Jan
uary and February. These figures are
hardly sufficient to form the basis of any
very definite conclusions /; and it is proba-
BILE that the returns themselves may have
| been imperfect. But it is fair to assume
that the errors would balance each other as
far as the single question of season Is con-
cerned, especially as there is a general COLI
curence of testimony upon the point.
! Notwithstanding this, in hot weather, and
especially in large towns, it is not uncom-
mon to see dogs which are maniteStly
suffering from thirst; and a dog which is
thirsty and bewildered is almost certain to
be condemned as rabid, even though there
may not be particle of evidence to justify
the charge. During the last few weeks
we have had to record several groundless
alarms of this description, and many dogs.
probably none of them mad, have been de-
strOyed.
We know but little of the natural history
of hydrophoba, the constant fatal human
malady, which is caused, sometimes at
least, by the bites OF rabid animals; but
there is reason to believe that it may be due
in many cases as much to fear as to any
Infection communicated by the bite. A
dog which has lost its master and its way !;
which has perhaps, committed some petty
theft which has been pelted and chased
and driven frantic with terror, may prob
ably bite half dozen people before It's ca
reer is brought to a close. If the dog Is
then killed, all those whom it has bitten
are condemned to weeks or months OF
mental torture or anxiety; while, if 1t were
shut up and kindly treated, a few hours
would often prove that there was no mad
ness in the case, and no harm OF any kind
to be anticipated. The symptoms OF gen
uine rabies differ widely from the popular
conception of the peculiarities OF a mad
dog" and are very similar to those which
in the human being attend upon forms OF
insanity accompanied by what are techni-
l.l hnll, hot N
say, by voices or visions that have no real
ity except IN the sensations of the sufferer.
NJ. Bouley of Lyons, who has studied
rabies with great care, tells us always to
suspect dog which is restless and which
vet wishes for solitude, which goes about
Swapping at the air or suddenly barking
without apparent cause, which seeks or
scrapes necessarily. and, above all, which
has become too fond of those known to it,
and is continually endeavoring TO lick their
hands and faces Such symptoms call for
seclusion in some place of safety, and for
the opinion of competent veterinary sur
geon. But even NJ. Bouley himself could
hardly pronounce upon the case of a doc
which had been chased through crowd
|, ed thoroughfare as preliminary to speedy
execution by pOlceman's truncheon.
The stories about hydrOphObia occurring
ScNtI wears vi lNGllty AOdlS 'ltCi " Oi'N
are probably in most cases fables; and, il
not fables, they at least show that the dis
ease may arise spontaneously; but yet
} there is no certainty with regard to the
e period of time at which it can be said thai
/ all danger has ceased. According 10 the
} best authorities, when two months have
f elapsed the person bitten by rabid AMI
l NAL NAV have Il we'll grounded hope Oi
c escape, and after ninety days the occur
renee of hydrOphObia is almost exception.
? al. 1t appe ,rs from the returns furnished
r by the police that siXtv-seven dogs have
been reputed to be mad, and have been de
;, stroyed within the metropolitan districts
: between the 1st of January and the 3lst o
May of the present year. One of thest
- dogs worried forty sheep and killed som,
: ducks, and one of the sheep is said to have
r died of rabies five weeks atterward. In
e the other siXty-siX cases there was no evi
oence of madness beyond the fact of Tho
o accusation. Not a single case of hydro
!, phobia has been received into any of th'
@ metropolitan hospitals, and Of the twenty
: five policemen who have been bitten BY
e dogs only five were sufficiently hurt to b.
n placed upon the sick list, and only one o
I. these is still absent from duty. 1t wOult
seem from these figures thAt the fear o
hvdrophObia recently excited has not beel
due to the existence of any corresponding:
degree of danger. If the siXty-siX dog
which were said to be mad have bitten an,
. persons. it is certain that none of thes
have as vet suffered, and that large pro
i portion of them must now be compare
y lively safe. But the probabilities are tha
not one of the dogs was either mad or il
:, the slightest danger of becoming so, ant
: that if they had been shut up and watche'
: for a time, the symptoms which gave ris
: to the belief would have been found to ad
nit of some different Interpretation.
DoG-FANCIER's OPINION.
IFrom the New York Herald.I
John Peach, of No. 800 Wallabout street
Williamsburg, is dOg-fancier, and to
{ reporter of the Herald he yesterday said
am dog-fancier. | have been bitten b,
3 rabid dogs, and if dog bites me that
think is in that condition. suck out tn
: poisoned blood, or get friend to do so 70
me, if | cannot reach the wound myself
{ This is good for rattlesnake bites or pO
5 soned arrows. | sold bull-terrier to tn
captain of ship, and he bit him throug
u the lip, and the captain sucked his lip an
: pulled all the virus out. This was thre
. months go, and the captain is alive to-day
! If there ever was mad dog that was one
d He foamed like a devil, and wanted to bit
Il every one. 10 satisfy the captain | kille
the dog with hammer. | know Il ma
named Larry Wien, member of No. |
U Truck in the old fire department. and
u had Il fight with a gentleman" of No. 4
= Hose. who bit two of his fingers. and Lar
!. ry had hydrOphobia. His fingers were an
: putated, where he was bitten, by the dot
: tor. The fight was in Avenue ID, nea
= Third street, in midsummer, about 1856
IL and Larry was subsequently smothered t
death by. his friends when he became ma
: from hydrophobia. | have been in tn
y dog business about thirteen years, an
have never seen, except this, case of by
> drophObia from a dog bite. About tw
years ago man died in Brooklyn, | bt
= lieve, from the bite of cat. Think frotf
e ing at the mouth in man or dog is what
4 dangerous. The only cue is sucking
:. out. have been bit many times.
y Hook upon a mag dog as dog that wi
= be distant TO you for three or four days an
= won't notice anybody; his eyes will loo
bloodshot too; then he wants TO keep OF
of the way, and. if you let him go in th
he street, anything that he runs against b
le will Suan at They never make auy nOiSi