Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1883-07-19
An Old Greek Cure For Hydrophobia.


An Old Greek Cure For HydrOphobia.
a. writer in the N. Y. Tribune, has
been giving Lydrophobia special study,
with view to ascertaining ii there is
not some cure for this terrible disorder.
lie hes unearthed some very old author
ity on the subject, and among them the
following, which was published in the
Tribune a few days ago;
About sixty years ago, DIR.
Morachetti made discovery of blisters
under the tongue in persons bitten by
rabid animal. His treatment of this
discovery, like many another, encoun-
tered SO much opposition at the time
that those who were disposed to con-
slider the matter seriously were stigma
.zed with the epithet of quack. Later
| the method communicated by DIR.
MOrachetti was practiced with uniform
success. This fact was established by
an article translated from the Greek of
DR.. Xanthos, of Cyprus, and published
| in Huletord'S Journal der PrdctiSch.n
| Heic-RUndl. DR.. Xanthos also stated
that after years or doubt he no longer
hesitated about bringing the matter be-
| fore the public. He stated also that
the Prussian Government had given d.
rections to investigate the matter, the
result of which was, that the bliSters
were discovered in many cases in the
hospitals. In France q similar phenom-
enon had been observed, and treated
with success. HyGrophobia is unques-
| tiOnably one of the most formidable
scourCes that effect the human race,
yet its occurrence is seldom known i'm
the Levant, where dogs and other ami
mails are more common than with us.
IL is supposed that the practice recon-
mended by DR.. Morachetti is universal,
or was on the coast of the Mediterranean
and in the Greek islands. DR.. Xanthos
in 1928 was compelled by disturbance
| i'm his own country to take up his resi-
| donce in Zurich, where he met n Greek
from the Peloponnesus, past middle age
and familiar with the customs of his
country. He said that all that was
necessary to cure the bite of mad dog,
was TO cut ii out with sharp knife,
and, on the ninth day, the blisters
which appeared under the tongue of the
/
1 called .Lyssais-rabies cania." and to
suffer the bleeding until the poison was
| discharged. DIR. Xanthos Immediately
sent certain written questions from
Heidelberg, and obtained from Aron the
following reply from Polychronis,
| Thessalonian:
| IF man is bitten by mad dog, ON
the ninth day small blisters called Lys-
sails appear under the tongue; they are
rather dark-colored, about the size of
pea, some of them smaller, and look
like flesh. They are situated on the
under side of the tongue, near the men,
braneous band, particularly on the side
of the veins. If you observe the tongue
of sound man, and then examine that
of man who has been bitten by mad
dog, you will Immediately see the diff
| ference. AS soon as these Lyssais are
observed they must be cut out with
sharp knife and the bleeding continued
till the poison is discharged. If this is
neglected or deferred too long the brain
becomes affected and tie patient will
die in deplorable commissions"
Seven Greeks" said DIR. Xanthos,
"who were stopping at Aron, natives
of Thessaly and Ep'rus, and the islands
of Greece, confirmed this testimony"
An Epirot, at Basic, informed the doc
tor that in his country after the Lyssais
had been cut out, and the wound had
bled copiouslv, it was the custom to
rub it with garlic and common salt. He
| answered the doctor that he had fire.
quently seen this done, and after the
plan had been carefully pursued, the
patient after the fortieth day was out of
all danger. He also added that the in
habitants of the neighboring mountains
after the operation on the Lyssais,
| washed out gun barrel with water
and made the patient wash his mouth
with the rinsings. Thirteen Greeks,
stopping at Basic confirmed this tcsti-
mony. A Peloponesian, eighty years
old, who had been in trade from fifteen
to twenty years in Russia, who was then
in Switzerland, told the doctor that he
had often employed this method IN
Russia with the happiest success In
some parts Of Greece, after the opera
ton it was tho custom to squeeze river
crawiish to the wound. The inhabitants
had great faith in the efficacy of craw-
fish in cases of hydrophobia, and used
them internally and externally. From
all this information it appears that the
treatment of this frightful disorder
throughout Greece was by excision of
the Lyssais. That il had its origin i'm
Greece is evident from the name which
is used throughout that country.