The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-07-08
A Specimen Case of Hydrophobia.

We advise people not to be frightened
by the latestreported case of hydrOphobia.
Ii is the popular belief that this disease is
caused as the rule by the bite of a mad
dog, but according to the reports of the
death of Andrew jackson, which occurred
in Brooklyn last week, and who is said by
the physicians to have lost his life by n.y.
drOphObia. there seems to be no more rea-
son for this belief than for good many
others which are carefully cherished APP
parently for the sole purpose of making
people unhappy. Some nine weeks ago
Mr.. jackson borrowed large NewfOund-
land dog from his employer and took it to
his own house. He was very fond of the
dog and kept it at home the next day. o"
his coming into the house in the evening
the dog, which had manifested homesick-
nCSs during the day, became extremely
playful, and in jumping about, in its glad
ness to see him, struck one of its teeth
against the mans lips, just breaking the
skin. The man Was alarmed st once,
and carefully washed the wound out, al
though he did not cauteriZe it. The next
day he took the dog home, and told his
employer what had happened. The latter
took the animal at once to a dog-fancier
and told him to watch the animal care
fully for signs of madness. Nothing Pc
culiar was seen in the conduct of the dog.
which was finally returned TO its owner,
and is now said TO be in the country and
in good health
From the moment of receiving the in
jury Mr.. jackson seems TO have been thor
oughly frightened, and although the
wound healed up and physicians whom
he consulted assured him that he was in
no danger, he continually brOoded over
the subject. His friends tried to laugh
him out of his fears and he would confess
that he had no ground for his anxiety.
Nevertheless his terror remained and in
creased. and finally he died in fearful
agony, his illness and death being attend
ed by all the well-known signs of hydro
phobia. The physicians say that it was of
hvdrophObia that he died. Now, if the
facts of this case are correctly reported, it
seems clear either that the contact of a
healthy Gog's teeth with human flesh will
produce hydrophobia. or else that Mr..
iJackson's disease and death were caused
by Imagination. Heretofore it has been
! difficult enough TO procure scientific eyi-
| dence that the intentional bite of mad
dog will produce hydrophobia, and il
1 therefore seems impossible of belief that
an accidental bruise inflicted by the teeth
of a dog in Tound condition will occasion
this horrible malady. On the other hand,
many diseases are made more severe and
ven fatal by the fear of the patient, and
imagination alone is fully tapab'e of pro-
ducing fears which for the time being are
as painful as if they were caused by some
thing real. This case then appears to
show that hydrophobia may be caes d by
Intense and persistent fear of it, and to
fshow nothing else. During the approach
ing hot season when dogs are mistakenly
supposed 10 be more dangerous than in
colder seasons of the year) our citizens
lshould see to it that they are not deluded
linto surprising that they are in danger o.
hydrophobia, since that delusioH Ia this
| instance seems to have been the sole ciust
of the fatal malady.-K. 7. Eper'in9 Post