The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1878-01-06
TIE INCREASE md EITIRPATIoS OF
RFDR0PR05{4.
SOMETHING ABour MAD DOGS.


! tecEfh CeEtary tue venerable and !eArset
Sir Thomas Watson, better known II
America By his books as DR.. Tbrnss w a.
500, make public come startling facts X
regard TO hydro pbcbiS acd rabies; tht
former being the name spilled TO thls d :
ease IN men and the iStt-r when IL occar re
in the dog. Sir Thomas Watson says tina:
the Increase # byGrophohia within the lssi
! half ceptDry has been astonishing. In lc4i
bat two cases had teeD admitted into 81.
I CIeoTge H0sPTczt ru-r~crt. -aFe-FeAEs-
Since the beStnuiCs OF he present year no
fewer than thirteea deaths from tydroPho-
! bis have been recorded IN LoGGop- Ii Is =
common place of medical literature ;hst
mum brrs Of medical men have gone through
| life vitho 1T witnessing slpGie case OF the
| dieease. ard this b as led - the ROTOR stlll
ohsIinsteiy maintained. that no suea dis.
ease exists. SIR Isa2c Penuinst3n could
no: be persuaded that the disease WAS any
thing else than u nervous disorder. Even
30 high 40 extra medical authority as Sir
George CorneWa. Lewis was of this opinion
unit! convinced Of bis error by NJ. HAWKES.,
Who had eeen nearly 3 dozen cases Sir
Thomas himself has seen four CAGES, and
declares that no one WHO has watched Us
actual symptoms could mistake any other
ID alsdy for II. 4 single fact Is sofheient 20
prove that tie disease lie net ose caused by
the lmsSios;iop, Nh'eh Ia THAI Ii has be-
fstten ttfast- ssa tG4GtS-Ihs- increase IN
the number Of dogs Kept IN Ell gland keeps
pace with the IG1rease of the pcpuiauon.
In one large tosn 10 Eaeisrd IN 1870 one
in every Eve OF tie poetmen were bitten by
dogs-postmep, either because q their
uniform or IS being always "rI the GO"
beng particularly IN The way OF snu OBJ
poxiops 10 TIE csnine population.
Hydrophoo'a shows varying periods OF
cuhatior. 0at of 100 cases ive-sixths
occurred between eighteen days sut three
r., h1-A IA hJ II VI rf1f
the disease in two patients bitten at tire
same time was separated cy an interval OF
two weeks. 10 tie case OF one OF SIT VIII
ham Cults pslients the disorder broke olt
moEe thsa i've yesFs after he bad been bI:-
ten, the psin first making itself felt in the
old scar. Sir Thomss believes that &c
these lopg inter ais the Wins has been shlt
Qp in a uoduie without entering t1e blood
Tue same thing has been held IN regard to
Vaccination. The symptoms of tots dresd !
isesse stated in broad optline are excess: sc
nervous irritability and terror. spasmoclc
of the muscles OF The throat, |
excited by the sight or sound of liquids, |
And sometimes inability TO swallow then
even after earnest efforts to do SO. The !
patient goes on from bad TO worse, mania !
OF delirlum snDeryeniDg npon the lTIita- |
bility The sufferer becomes garrulons and |
excited. Foam and maens gather IN his |
mouth, he pulls at it with his fingers, and |
the strange sounds be makes have EASILY
been exaggerated by the vulgar into the
snarling ard barking of a dog. His lower
Ii hs become palsied, and as this makes
him crouch il has been mlsconstrued into q
desire TO go on all tours. Death usually |
happens on the third or fourth day. Tetap ia
Dr. lockjaw, Gays Sir Thomas, cannot be |
mistaken for hydrophobia. The differences |
between the two are too clearly marked.
In the former the spssm is abiding and
relsxes gradually; in the latter the spssm
s Intermittent, sudden and frequent, taking !
the forEl of what are popularity called con-
s missions. There is no thirst IN iockJ2w, no |
nucus IN the mouth and the patient Is ee- |
-eue and heart whole II Is comfortable |
After this 10 k1ow that tew persons o!tteO /
ny mad dogs. comparatively speaking, |
near hF6rpphobis. d.. Hunter puts the |
proportion at 10 2o, DR.. Hamilton 81 |
u rs Sir Thomas takes a darker view, |
and Thinks l in nearer tie truth. 1t Is
this immunity OF certain proportion OF
the persons bitten hIch has given reputa- |
lion TO so called curee and prevenuyes. !
The terrible dread which people Feel after
being bitten il Bo. entirely removed By the
sac psiou OF the last means of prevention
Sir Thomas urges that dogs thought
mad should not be killed after they
have bitten human beings, as IL often
;uTrs out that the deg wss noi msd
az all. ard the assurance OF this fact Will
greatly relieve tse injured person. In the
stomseh of = really mad dos will always be
found unnatural contents, Indicating g
NOR bid condition, straw, hay, coal, sticks,
earth and the like. The disease does not
arise de Hero, but is always communicated,
and is not produced by extreme heat nor
confined to the dog days, but occurs at all
seAsops alike hence the same precautions
should be taken in winter sc 10 Jbe heats
of sumner. The disease DSy be comm oni-
Gated by the saliva where there is an aors-
ALOE OF the skin. man who united knot
in q rope with which 8 mad dog had been
tied took tie disease AID died. 4 woman
whose dress had been torn by mad dog,
havicg pressed down the seam with her
teeth. took tie diaease sod died. Heree
sucking the bite received oy smother should
never be practised. a mad deg licked the
face Of sleepiug man resE his mouth. AL
search failed ID discover an abrasion. yet
The u Au took the disease and died. Dogs
iacculatxd with the saliva of naI In cIeo
With bydEophobiA have taken tie disease.
SIR Thomas Watson ssys that tse OILY
eff=csasl prevention Is the exe's:on OF tie
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