The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-01-30
SOME FURTHER NOTES ON HrD TO
PHOBTf

itiiS W t-''Ii~lll ii~i-t III WY I'll III
cflqcy 81 the so-cGll"d maidstone in cases "
hydrophol in. 1t is commonly assorted that thos,
stones. II placed upon the wound cnused by the
b.t" q Il rabid animal. will adhor' to- 1t until ali
the poison has boon extracted by some nystcri-
Gus action OF the mineral. OF course If It were
conrlu-ivcly proved that any stone could thus
prevent hydropl obla. its value would hc simply
inestimably great. But the claims advanced
the maidstone arc rejected generally. AMI we
licv" unanimously. 10y She medical profess
sion Nevertheless our zorro. pond n,'s state
mcnts are most explicit as to hi own favorable
experience. " Twas bitten some five years since
10y log he snys. md Il year ago last winter
| was taken with hydrophoha was cured OF
il hya maidstone owned by Mr. Evans Of Paris.
Linn Co.. Iowa. lie has cured over ono hun
drodand fifty human beings az well a. cattle and
horses that have been bitten by mad dogs and
also many persons who have been bitten 10y
poisonous snakes. He has cured people when
they were in spasms and had TO he tied and
blinded"
Now We have here distinct assertion Of the
curative powcr Of the maidstone IN at least one
case Of hydrophobin. II j. made. with evident
sincerity. by the patient himself. His other
statements are obviously hoar-ny hut this ono
must be founded on WIN. he believes to be his
own personal knowledge. H. a-"rlbes oven
greater virtue to- the maidstone than has or
dinnrly been claimed for H. 1fhc T. correct in
his facts. it will no, only prcv0n, hut 'ur".
Arr va renllytn bclicve tli- Every physician
win AT once answer No. And If u-k'd why not.
the intelligent medical man viii AK in turn Tor
evidence that the oa-e really was one OF hydro
phohn /, is q disease with which even physi-
c.als are 10y no means familiar. Sir Thomas
Watson who ms boon called the y -tor IL
English medicine has seen lut four eases of IL.
and hc himself says that many medical mon
pass through life without witn' -sing the dis
cn-e at all. The annals ~ medicine leave no
doubt that spurious symptoms of hydrophohia
are sometimes produced by fright. It is prob
ably only IN cases Of this kind that the sup
posed cures have been effected. With the ex-
ccption If the two cases in which ciudre was adj
ministercd. aud which are admitted to have
boon extremely doubtful. We have yet to learn
Of a single instance OF alleged cure whore a
competent physician pronounced the disease to
be unquestonably hydrophobia.
So much for the curative properties Of the
maidstone. The popular faith in lis preventive
efficacy. however. is very great In some parts Of
this country. Educated persons usually deem
the notion n popular superstition. but II cam
not bc overcome merely by calling IT SO. Ac-
cordlngly. we must ask those who entertain it,
to remember that the bite OF a mad dog does
not cause hydrOphobia in more than about one
half tho entire number of persons bitten; so
that although a particular method Of prevent
ing the disease may have been cfllcacious 10
that end. We cannot be sure that the patient
would not equally have escaped without taking
any precautiou ut all. On the other hand. the
confidence which physicians have come to have
in cauterization arises from the almost invaria-
Bile immunity ot those who speedily resort to 1t.
while others. bitten by the same dog on the
same day, but neglecting ii. So often die Of
hydrophobia. Until the probable preventive
value OF the maidstone l. similarly attestcd. ii
may safely be denied. The somewhat excep-
tona prevalence OF rabies in the valley OF the
Connecticut makes this subject one Of practical
Importance at the present time. and urge
tho So who may be bitten by II suspected animal
to have recourse to excision or cauterization as
the surest precautionary treatment known to
medical science.
1t is strange that this method has not been
more frequently applied to dogs themselves
few years ago in England. the entire Durham
county pack Of hounds numbering forty-one
couples. was destroyed in consequence OF an
outbreak OF rabies. II is probable that some of
these valuable animals could have been saved
by following Iouatt's instructions. At least we
Judge so from tho experience of Mr.. II. c. Bark
ley. the English railway engineer. whose mar
r"'iN's VI NE ana adventure IN bulgaria nave
o''h 50 ia~r"ply received. ne says II Is
Eren' nls'nE" 10 SUPPOSE mat dogs never go
ni"' J." u'A"s' y" Vh' contrary th'y 10 uiau
III r'hs'u"r""' huinp"rs' ana ne lost several
'".u""', No-S ~ ~ OWL through ,"' "',"'As
~ ''D'' "n'.l"49' ne saw many ''n''s' now
wi ny 'i' "'"''i'"' VIII" no V'"s 'eS'ri'
Ms,,n,'er he'g sen one OF my io-s bitten have
have shaved Tie hair rom IT, Ian. ci ihc wound or
Nr nav. ,d ,,o .5. t,,tn Al ,h SAM lime , f
Which tt,ae thus an et The other to take IT, chanee
mad and tne oihor Ia, and i.i Sur, thst m man or
,a,i u re Me.ns wc1e All a, once cauer4ed ~ the
A"nou-n pn's'''"i's seem "sreeu "s TO me
n',"ao'S '"",' "rn'haVoh oi hyurophoula IN
inc "uina" suoIc''' VIZ no''ce 'na' ~ AcIahu
one ~ '"c n'os' eminent n'e"'ea' men III Eng
'""" 'Np''S9'7 "o"p, as ~ Wn''ncr 'he pol
SOU VI '"u''s "l""ys i"," 10 une u.E' III the
,'"','p"'" NY "e,''" io' january "i,'r saying
wa, '"is p0,sV" 10 nov n"'ui" ~ Tue uoe' ,io
.'i"s' II, Is nln'9e" d 'ie'iin' Inc poison no
"'.''''''7 Nv '"' 1870" ~ m''N9 "'u'e'
certainty MS own uestructon. / ne WORD al
"i''' 'H'i '"'o9 iVsSi"I'''S ul"' ''' i""'u ""s
nprlsh from - SDp a