Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-11-23
HYDROPHOBIA.
The Cause Of It---Pasteurss Experi.
nlemfS.
Paris Letter in Boston Post.1

lKdlls 1ActtcT III bOstOu TOSL.
"And what, said a visitor to Pasteur's
laboratory, els the result of the ex-
periments which you have recently been
making on hydrophobia ,"
eff you DESIRE" said M. Pasteur. tive
will go down into the cellar where the
animals inoculate1 with the rage are,
and you can there soon see for yourself"
The visitor descended into the base
ment in company with NJ. Pasteur, with
certain uncomfortable sensations in the
calves Of his legs, fearing possible en-
counter with some one Of the inoculated
dogs, and he found himself in large
cellar, into which air and light were
poured through great tunnels. Immense
cages ranged round the sides of this
subterreanean apartment, and in each of
these cages was dog. Here were all
sorts of CANNES, the bulldog, the terrier,
the spaniel, the poodle, etc. Over each
cage was placard indicating the day of
the incubation of each animal. cup to
this time," said NJ. Pasteur, ct have
been able to discover but little; still,
consider it first step. Before I began
my experiments it was believed that
hydrophobia could be communicated
only by the saliva, and people were fire.
quently astonished at seeing dogs that
had been bitten by mad dogs remain
sometimes all their lives without man
Testing any symptoms of the dreadful
malady. I have discovered the virus of
hydrophobia in the brain of the dog, in
the spinal marrow, and in the whole of
the nervous system generally. One
drop of that virus preserved from contact
with the microbes of the atmosphere
and introduced into the brain of a
healthy dog invariably gives him n.y.
drophobia and he dies of it within
fifteen Gays.
"Look," said M. Pasteur, "here is an
animal inoculated with the virus about
ten days ago. Just put your foot up to
his cage" The visitor did so, but with
fear and trembling. ''You see he ticks
your 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 VIC
lence, in which he will bite anything
that comes near him. Here is another
one. just give kick at his cage. See
how he springs at you. He will die to-
morrow. Notice his harsh and curious
barking. He is affected with hallucina-
tions, and no longer recognizes anybody.
He was inoculated just fourteen days
ago, and he will be dead tomorrow.
Men have the same symptoms, with this
exception, that the duration of what may
be called the incubation is usually thirty
or forty days, and that they have hor-
ror of water, phenomenon which is
never seen in the case of dogs.
"There are cases on record of men
who have not died after being bitten by
mad dogs. That was because the saliva
had been subjected to the influence Of
the atmosphere. and that kind of strug-
gle was going on between the microbes
of the virus and the microbes of the cir
cumambieDt air. These latter appear
sometimes t. neutralize or modify the
effect of the virus but with the virus in
the pure state, as extract it from the
brain of one of my dogs here, death in
fixed period is certain, and up to this
time we have found no remedy for this
pitiless affection.
''Now, I hope, if my life is spared,
that, after many comparisons, and ex-
periments, I shall finally & "A remedy:
but. before getting to the Gu. Of my re-
searches, must exactly establish the Or
garlic constitution of the microbes of
this virus, for these invisible beings diff.
fer from each other as a man differs
froma horse, and a horse from an ele-
plant. They are also subject to divers
influences, and that which diminishes
the power Of some augments the capac.
ity of others. This accounts for the
manner in which I treated the carbon
which was Staying thousands of sheep
every day before the invention of nv
vaccine matter, which is nothing less
than the virus itself reduced. By ex.
posing the virus to an atmosphere of 40
deg. during certain time, the microbes
become SO feeble that when they we're
ID the body of an animal they only COM
municated the very ightest carbon, and
thus forever guaranteed the animal
against the epidemic.