Sharp County record., 1879-06-19

stances which obtain among uOSs quI'o
generally throughout the world. IN
many regions, from the arctic zone TO
the equator, abOunding in these
animals, and particularly on Islands,
hydrophobia has always been either
totally unknown or very rare, wnlle IN
others. exempt from it for ages
it has only recently appeared, ana IN
most instances can be traced poSltiVely
TO Importation. The writer has been
informed by a friend who, previous 10
the Mexican war, resided at San Alt
tonic. Texas, for u years, that he never
heard of an instance of hydropho6ia IN
that region, although it contained large:
numbers of hunting dogs. He himself
kept pack of hounds. 1t was, however,
related to him that, in 1916, ranchero
near Monterey, Mexico, while sleeping at
night in front of his house, was bitten
in The finger by a cayote (prairie wolf,
which snapped at him, and immediate.
ly made off. The wounded man lost no
time in cropping off his finger, as 1t is
believed by the natives that wolves act
ing in such manner are ra0ld.
Mr.. Meynel, the most eminent En-
glish sportsman of the last century,
preserved his kennel of hounds from ny
drophobia during many years by forcing
every new dog to undergo rigid quar-
antine of four or five months, prepara-
tory to its admission into the pack. A
similar system, could it be universally
adopted, would doubtless ultimately re-
suit in the suppression of rabies; but at
present it is practicable only to limited
extent.
In regard toseason, it is perfectly dem
s1s rated that wha ever influence the
weather may exert upon the character
or duration of the disease, it has no pow
er in its production. Rabies prevails in
differently in all months. The popular
notion that it is most common in sum-
mer is of the greatest antiquity, and,
like many other traditions, has DO foun-
dation in fact. Aslong ago as 1880, An
dry observed that January and August
furnished the least number of cases OF
canine rabies which he was able to COL
lect, and subsequently Mr.. TrOlliet, at
ter laborious investigation, found the
disease most frequent among dogs IN
May and September, and among wolves
in March and April. During an out
break of this disease among the dogs iu
Vienna, in 1871, the largest number OF
cases was observed in February and
My, and the fewest in September, No
vember and December. In Algeria the
affection is most prevalent among dogs
in the autumn and winter. The dis
tinguished veterinarian, Prof. Bouley,
in communication to the French Acad-
emy of Sciences, April 4, 1870, presents
the results Of an analysis of depart
mental reports in France for the six
years, 1868 to 1868, which exhibits for
the spring SO cases of hydrophobia in
dogs; summer, "a; autumn, Ga; and
winter, IS. Prof. Roll of the Vienna
Veterinary Institute has found the dis.
ease more prevalent in mild than in hot
summers. Faber, in his Wurtemberg
statistics, shows rabies to be there most
frequent in March, February, June, and
January; and least so in September,
October, and August. The most con-
elusive statistics upon this point ever
collected and published were compiled
by the writer several years since, and
embody the immense number Of 2.52O
distinct and authentic cases of rabies
Gamma observed in France, Austia, En-
gland, and the United States. Or these
7O4 occurred during the spring, 62l
during the summer, COS during the au-
tumn, and 5S7 during the winter. The
foregoing facts and figures demonstrate
the absurdity of repressive laws design
ed to be in operation only during the
summer months.
As to the influence of hunger and
thirst in generating hydrophobia, Du-
puytren, Breschet, Magendie, Radi,
Bourgelat, and Menecier famished
great number of dogs and cats without
the production of any thing resembling
rabies.
We must therefore acknowledge our
ignorance of any causes concerned in
the spontaneous development of this
disorder. Prof. st. Cyr of the Lyons
Veterinary School, who has devoted
many years to an attentive study of the
malady, and whose experience has been
immense, does not hesitate to assert
that heat, cold, drought, and humidity
in word, all the meteorological con-
ditions, whatever they may be, are alb
solutely without any perceptible iDdu
ence as causes of rabies Its reproduc-
tiOn solely by incubation from one ami
NAL to another is therefore the only sat,
isfactory theory lef' US, and is one,
moreover, amply sufficient to account
for the vast majority of cases; and, in
all probability, such mode of transmis-
sion is responsible for every case. The
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