The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-06-02
HYDR0PH0BlA LOOKED INTO.
rs THE POISON or RABIES OWE or THE
ANIMAL dLK1LOIDS?
Prof Fairfield Averring that Even the saliva
of Mad Dog May Communicate Hydra
DhobIn-HIa Investignttons into the Mnladv.


Prof Fairfield Averring that Even the saiiva
of "a Mad Dog May Communicate Hydra
phobIn-HIs Investigattons into the Nniadv.
To THE EDITOR OF THE SUN-SW. VIII
you nllow mo a. correct an error of some i'm
portance In generally very able and accurate
article on hydrouhobia recently printed in TIE
Sun? The writer OF that article. by way Of com
fortnR nervous people says that hydrophohia
never occurs except IN consequence Of the bite
OF u rabd animal. or uses words 10 that effect.
This avormcnt is ut issue with both observation
and experiment. One of the most marked
causes of hydrophobla that over occurred in
this city was that Of gentleman who had nj
lo,. cd pet slut to lick his face. The animal
had shown no symptoms Of madness. and did
not aiterward become mad 80 far "a | am in
formed. The victim had n slight abrasion Of the
skin on his face and allowed the creature to
lick IT, with an old-iashioncd faith in the heal
ing virtue Of dogs tongue. He died within
four weeks Of pronounced hydro phoba.
Az to tho genesis OF the disease styled rabies
in dogs. need scarcely remind you that it has
been produced experimentally by the inocula.
ton Of healthy animals with saliva aiken from
the mouths ~ nOu-rabld animals. In the first
instance, and in another way. Az a very full
and interesting account % the experiments con
Quoted at the Lyons Veterinary College. NJ the
Veterinary School IN Paris. and by private hos
VI
London Veterinary journal volume for 1917, II
IL not necessary 10 .ef"r g. th"nn in detail. An
American edition Of the Veterinary .JOt1Tdi Is
issued bv one OF our medical publishing houses,
and the back volumee. Tor th" last three or sour
years, at least. are accessible To- those wishing
10 verify ths preceding statement. IL will bc re-
membered. perhUps that something Ike an cpl
demic OF rabies prrvn ed among English dogs
IN tho latter part Of 1871 and that the Httei.ton
OF the British public was directed to the subject
with surh intensity that parliamentary acton
WAS called for and ,if | CORRECTLY rpeollect tho
deDafeel taken. Whole pnpks went mad for
aud alarmed.
Notwithstanding the apparently conclusive
experiments cited by the Veterinary Journal
during that panic am still inclined 10 doubt
whether rabies can bc experimental w produced
IN the deg by inOculuiion with saliva in its
normal condition. There Is no secretion OF tho
animal body that responds more rradily by
etferancns in ~ molecular constitution TO
eliRnt disturbances OF the nervous system. than
The secretion OF the saliv.ry glands. Normal
saliva In addition to the saivHry corpuscrs. al
ways contains when examined with a powerful
microscope, small number OF mOnHds and
bgcilli-the most familiar forms Of bacterin.
Similar organisms occur IN the secretion of the
tear glands. OF the mucous membranes. and in
the cerebro-spina fluid. rs well ~ IN healthy
perspirntion. They are not signs OF disease in
any sense whatever. On the contrary. their as
sociniion with healthy products OF secretion ia
constant. Under conditions Of very slight and
transient nervous disturbance not only il the
reaction OF the saliva TO tests OF acidity or
alkillnity altogether different but the monRds
ana rods are replaced by swans Of scarcely less
minute, though considerably less trans
parent. organisms. The discovery OF these
organisms in the saliva of rabid animals
and hydrophobc men some three years
ago led me- TO the conclusion that they
are the germs 10y which the disease is propa-
gated. but. ms am now inclined 10 believe. up
on insufilc ient grounds; for II IL now a familiar
TACT that the anthrax rods found In the blood ~
animals suffering from anthrax fever are not
the real agents propagating the disease. On
the contrary. their destruction by acrosiatic
pressure by no means prevents anthrax blood
from producing It's fatal result when introduced
into the circulation OF the healthy animal. SO.
again, the properties of vaccine are not i'm
which Its virtue hns hitherto been supposed To
be resident; and Il may be- stated. AS a general
proposition appltcabl" to all diseases distin-
guished by the development Of minute organ
1sns in the circulation or elsewhere. that
wherever a thorough investigation has been in
sututsd II has been found that the organisms
themselves are not concerned in the prouaga-
ton OF the disease. II is. in the present state of
microscopic Investigation. fallacious and ah-
surd to Keep on repeating the confused and
confusing Jargon current ia medical pubca-
typhoid, anthrax. mhlnrirl germs. a e. since in
every instance where the germ theory hns been
hlrly tested and the Instances are now very
numerous Prot Jyndalls pretty little icton
has broken down.
What then is the poisonous agent concerned
In the propagation Of Diseases Without dis
cussi ng thus question in a general way. | shall
say frankly that both from the symptoms and
the phenomena OF the disra-. in general as
we'll as from the study Of saliva in healthy and
diseased animals. ! have been driven slowly
but inevitably toward tho coucluslo ION that pol
son OF rabies belongs 20 that subtle and potent
class known as animal alkulolds. IT. ~fi''ts on
the nervous system trr Cd. stlnctlyely thos" of un
alkaloid poison AMI wl'h this view all my re-
cent Investigations 10 the laboratory ol the col
leRe have been directed 10 tracing ont the chem
lcal changes IN saliva produced by rabies and
other nervous affections.
FRANcIs GERRY FAIRFIELD Phi. D..
College OF Ne'er'nar, surgeons 20 Lexington av.