The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1882-07-26
THE CAUSE OF HYDRoPHoBIA.
Experiments OF nm Eminent scicntist.

eminent ScfeHItSEs
And what" said vifitor to Pasteur's
laboratory, sis the res ult of the experiments
which you have recently been making on
hydrophobia ~
eff you DESIRE" said M. Pasteur, I'VE
will go down into the cellar where the
animals, inoeulated with the rage are, and
you can there soon see for yourself.,'
The visitor descended into the basement
10 company with NJ. Pasteur, with certain
uncomfortable sensations in the calves of his
legs fearing possible encounter with Some
one of the inoculated dogs; and he found
himself in a vast cellar, into which the air
md light were poured through great tunnels.
immense cages were ranged round the sides
Of this subterranean apartment. and in each
Of these cages was dog. Here were all
sorts Of CANNES, the bull dog the terrier,
/ the spaniel, the poodle, etc Over each
cage was plaeard indicating the day of the
incubation of the animal. Up to this
| time," said M. Pasteur, 81 have been able
to discover but little; still, l consider IT a
first step. Before began my experiments
it was believed that hydrophobia conld be
| communicated only by the saliva, and people
were frequently astonished at seeing dogs
that had been bitten by mad dogs remain,
sometimes all their lives, without manifest
ing any symptoms of the dreadful malady.
have discovered the virus of hydrophobia
in the brain of the dog, in. the spinal marrow,
and in the whole of the nervous system gen.
orally. One drop of this virus, preserved
from contact with the microbes of the atmas-
phere and introduced into the brain of a
healthy dog, invariably gives him hydropho-
bia, and he dies # it within fifteen days"
Look" ssio 81 Pasteur, here is an
animal inoealated with the virus atsnt tnn
days ago Just put your foot up to his
cage" The visitor did SO, but with fear and
trembling. "You see, he Hicks yonr foot
with every manifestation of affection. In
two days he will be dead. He is now in
that period of affectionate manifestation
which generally precedes by two or three
days the period of violence, in which he viii
bite anything TINT comes near him. Here
is another one. Just give kick at his cage
Sec how he springs at you He will die to-
morrow. Notice his harsh and curious bark
ing He is affected with Authorizations and
no longer recognizes anybody. He was in.
ocnlated just fourteen days ago, and he will
be dead tomorrow. Men have the same
symptoms with this exception, that the dur
alton Of what may be called the incubation
is usually thirty or forty days. and that they
have horror of water, a phenomenon
which is never seen in Il = case of dogs y
seThere are cases OH record of men who
have not died after being bitten by mad
dogs. Tint was because the saliva had been
subjected to the influence OF the atmosphere,
and that kind of struggle was going on
between the microbes of the virus and the
microbes of the eireumambient air. These
latter appear sometimes TO neutralize or
modify the effect Of the virus; but with the
virus in the pure state as l extract ii from
| the brain of one OF Tns dogs here, death in q
fixed period is certain md up to this time
we have fouad no remedy Tor this pitiless
| afiiiction =
NOV ! 'lape, il my life is spared, that
after ,,isas's apa experiments
| shall II remedy bat before getting
| to the ei researches l must exactly
establish a. rganc constitution of the mi
crobes of this virus, for these invisible beings
differ from each othsras a man differs from
horse, and a horse from an elephant
They are also subject to divers Influences,
and that which diminishes the power OF
some augmenis the capacity of others. This
accounts for the manner in which I treated
the Charlton which was staying thousands of
sheep every day before the invention of my
vaccine matter, which il nothing less than
the virus itself reduced. BY exposing the
virus to nm atmosphere of forty degrees dur
ing certain time the microbes become sc
feeble that when they were in the body OF
an animal they only communicated the very
lightest Charlton, and thus forever guaran-
teed the animals against the epidemic. "
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