Morning journal and courier., 1882-06-21
The Cause of Hydrophobia.
PnEteur's Experiments. Paris Letter to Boston Journal l

And what, /" said visitor to Pasteur's laboratory, '.is the result of the experiments which you have recently been making on hydrophobia ?'
 If you desire" said NJ Pasteur. i've will go down into the cellar where the ami mals inoculated with the rage are. and you can there soon see for yourself
 The visitor descended into the basement in company with M. Pasteur, with certain un- comfortable 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 air and light were poured through great tunnels. Immense cages were ranged round the sides of this subterranean apartment, and in each of these cages were dog. Here were all sorts of canines, the bull dog, the terrier the spaniel, the poodle, etc Over each cage was placard indicating the day of the inoculs- ton of the animal. up to this time. " said NJ. Pasteur, T have been able to discover but little; still, I consider it a first step. Before began my experiments it was be- ieved that hydrophobia could be communi- cated 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 manifesting any symptoms of the dreadful malady. have discovered the virus of hydrophobia in the brain of the dog, in the spinal marrow, and
  ly. One drop of this virus, preserved from contact with the microbes of the atmosphere and introduced into the brain of 8 healthy dog, invariably gives him hydrophobia, and he dies of 1t within fifteen days
 Look" said M Pasteur, "here is an anil nal inoculated with the virus about ten days ago. Just put your foot up to his cage" The visitor did so, but with fear and tremb- ling. You see, he Gcks 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 violence, 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 tomorrow. Notice his harsh and curious barking. He is affected with hallucinations, 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 ex- ception, that the duration of what may be called the incubation is usually thirty or for ty days, and that they have horror of wa- ter, phenomenon which is never seen in the case of dogs"
 ssThere 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 struggle WAS going on be- tween the microbes Of the virus and the mi- crobes of the circumRambient air These lAt- ter appear sometimes to neutralize or modi- fy the effect of the virus; but with the vi rus in the pure state, as I extract 1t 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 aflic- tion."
 Now, hope, if my life is spared, that, after many comparisons and experiments, l shall finally get remedy; but, before get ting to the end of my researches. must ex- actly establish the organic constitution of the microbes of this virus for these invisible be- ings differ from horse, and 8 horse from an elephant. They are also subject to divers influences, and that which dimInishes the pow CT of some augments the capacity of others. This accounts for the manner in which I treated the charbon which was slaying thou sands of sheep every day before the inEen- ton of my vaccine matter, which is nothing less than the virus itself reduced. By expos ing the virus to sn atmosphere of forty de- grees during certain time, the microbes be- come so feeble that when they were in the body of an animal they only communicated the very ightest charbon, and thus for ever guaranteed the animals against the cpl demic."