The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1874-07-23
DoEsAnAnrD Doa DREAD WAFER ?


We are informed by Hon, n. NJ.
Burford that on Tuesday afternoon n
Newfoundland dog passed through his
premises with It's tongue protruding
from its mouth, the mouth covered
with foam, the tail hanging between
the legs and exhibiting all the other
marks of rabid animal. After pnss-
ing through his premises, the dog
snapped ut and bit n bitch that came
In Its way. Impressed with the idea
that the dog was mad, Judge Burford
required his children to he kept closely
in the yard, and loaded up his trusty
shot gun to be ready for action in case
1t should return that way. Not more
than half an hour had elapsed
when the same dog was seen
coming again in the direction Of Judge
Burford = house, maniIesting the same
symptoms and deaf to all efforts TO nj
tract its attention. Judge Burfori
thereupon let him have one barrel OF
goOd-sized duck shot and his wander
ings were at an end. After the dog
was dead, Judge Burford was reliably
informed that in the interval between
the Time when IL first passed through
the premises and the time when it re-
turned, 1t had gone into n pond OF
water rolled over and acted as if il rel
ished the chance to battle.
Hence the question with which we
head this article. Judge Burltrd has
no doubt that the dog was suffering
from rabies, and the fact is established
that in that state il went into the
water.
We have no answer TO give to the
question. We have no theory ofour own.
Judge Burford, who is man of eX-
tensive learning and large practical eX-
perience, has theory, derived from
observation, which we propose to give,
merely by way of inquiry, and for the
purpose of eliciting discussion of the
subject than to impart any positive in
formation.
Judge Burford's idea is that rabies is
kind of distemper to which only
dogs and wolves are liable; that this
rabies is not accompanied with hydro
phobia, or fear of water, and that
while the bite of n rabid dog commu-
nicates to another dog only the same
distemper that the rabid dog itself has,
the bite of the same dog will commu-
nicate toa human being disease the
most marked feature of which IL hy-
drophobia, or the fear of water, and
which is dissimilar in every respect
from the symptoms exhibited by the
canine race. The unprecedented num-
Der Of deaths that have occurred this
season from hydrophobia have thrown
around this subject an intense interest,
and we are pleased to have an oppor-
tunity to lay before the public the re-
suits of Judge Burford's observation.
On Tuesday afternoon last we were
requested by one of the most distin-
guished gentlemen of the ely to call
attention to the number of useless ours
that We're infesting the streets, and to
urge upon the city government the
propriety of thinning them out to a
stand. The fact that one rabid dog has
already appeared in the city limits is
sufficient, we are sure, to put the city
council upon its guard. An order was
issued several months ago that all va
grant dogs should be killed This order,
so far as we are informed, has never
been revoked. Allthat is necessary to
secure the safety of citizens is to re-
quire its strict enforcement.