Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1874-07-16
On Mad. Dogs.

, The eminent surgeon, DR.. John C..
Dalton, has transmitted to the Board of
Health of New York letter in which
he refers to three prevalent errors con-
corning hydrophobia, and also pre-
scribes directions for its prevention.
, He says:
The principal danger of Infection by
hydrophobia consists in the fact that
people in general do not know mad
dog when they see one. II they could
do so, they would be in no danger. But
in point of fact they mistake other af-
fections, which are comparatively
harmless, for hydrophobis, but the dis
ease itself they do not recognize. The
popular diagnosis of hydrophobia..rests
mainly on three erroneous ideas, viz.
first, that mad dog is to be met with
only hot weather; second, that he is
afraid Of water and will not drink;
and thirdly, that he is ferOcious and
aggressive. Neither of these state
ments is true. Abundant experience,
derived from carefully collected statis-
tics, has shown that hydrophobia in the
dog occurs at least as frequently in the
winter and spring as in the summer.
The rabid dog is. mot afraid of water,
and will frequently drink when he has |
the opportunity; and he is by no means
always aggressive or violent IN the ear
ly stages of the disease. The conse-
quence of this error is that if people
see dog, in cool weather, willing to
drink, and not PAL ticularly ferocious in
his manner, they are not afraid to ap-
proach or handle him; and yet he may
beRcapable of inflictins "a fatal wound
or even of communicating the disease
by licking an abraded spot on the hand
of his master.
Another frequent and serious mis-
take is this. As sooR as vagrant dog
has bitten any one, the first impulse of
the bystanders is to kill him. But when
this has been done, the only possible
means Of knowing whether the animal
were really mad is lost, and several
months must elapse before the injured
person can be relieved of anxiety from
this source. 1t is evident that such
dog should never be killed at once, but
should be secured and kept under OBJ
servatien for few days, till his symp-
TENS are fully developed. In the large
majority of cases it would turn out that
the disease was not hydrophobia.
His directions are:
l. A dog that is sick, from any cause,
should be watched and treated CAREFUL
ly until his recovery.
2. A dog that is sick and restless is
an object of suspicion. This is the ear
liest peculiar symptom of hydrophobia.
8. A dog that is sick and restless and {
has depressed appetite, gnawing and /,
swallowing bits of cloth, weod, coal,
brick, mortar, or his own dung, is a
dangerous animal. He should be at
once chained up, and kept in confine-
ment until his condition be clearly as
certained.
A. If, in addition to any or all of the
foregoing symptoms, the dog has delu-
sion of the senses, appearing to see or ,
hear imaginary sights or sounds, trying .
to pass through closed door, catching ,
at flies in the air when there are nsne, :.
or searching for something which does .
not exist, there is great probability that :.
he is, or is becoming, hydrophobic.
He should be secured and confined with .
out delay. -.---
8. In case any one is bitten by dog 6
whose condition is suspicious, the most s
effective and beneficial treatment is to I
the wound at once with a (
stick of silver nitrate, commonly called
''lunar caustic." The stick of caustic q
should be sharpened to a pencil point, =
introduced quite to the bottom of the ]
wound, and held in contact with every 8
part of the wounded surface until it is /
thoroughly cauterized and insensible. z
This destroys the virus by which the c
disease would be communicated. q