Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-05-21
CURE FOR HYDROPHOBIA.

n Louis Pasteur, the celebrated French
chemist, claims TO have made u discovery of
the most vital mportance-nothing less, in
fact, than complete cure, Or rather anti
dote, for hydrophobia. In an interview
with a Figaro correspondent N. Pastcur
says
"Cauterization Of tho wound Immediately
after the bite, rs is well known, has been
! more 0. less effective, but from to- day any
body bitten By 81 mad dog has only to pre-
sent himself at The laboratory of the Ecolc
Normac "ad Is inocuiation | Will make
lin completely insuSceptiblo 10 the effects
C. hyirophobia, even ii bitten subsequently,
by ANY number Of mad dogs.
II have been devoting the las. four years
10 this subject. | found out, il the first
place that the virus rahique loses its inten-
sity by transmission 10 certain animals and
increases lis intensity by transmission TO
other animals With the rabbit, for liz
stance. the vir!:s raDique increases; with
The monkey it decreases. Ny method was
as follows Il took the virus direct from
the brain Of dog that had died from acute
hvdrophobia With this virus I iucCulatcd
Il monkey The monkey died.
"rhen with the virus-already weakened
in intensity taken from this monkey n-
oculated second monkey. Then with the
virus taken from the second monkey | in
ocuiated q third monkey, and so on until |
obtained virus SO weak as TO Ge almost
! harmless. Then with this almost harmless
virus inoculated rabbit, the virus being
at once increased in intensity.
''Then with the virus from the first rabbit
/ inoculatud Il second rabbit, and there was
another increase III the intensity Of The
virus. Then with the virus Of tho second
rabbit | inoculated d third rabbit then
fourth, until the virus had regaincd its
maximum intensity. Thus | obtained virus
of different degrees o. power. then TOOK
:. dog aud inocula!ed him, first with the
weakest virus from the rabbit, then with
the virus from the second rabbit and finally
with the rabbit virus of maximum intensity.
After few days more | inocuIalcd the dog
with virus taken directly from the brain cf
Il dog tha: had just died OF acute madness.
! The dog upon which | had experimental
proved completely insusceptiblc to hydro
phobia The experiment was frequently
repeated, always with the same successful
result.
But ny discovery does not end here. |
took two dogs and inoculated them both
with virus taken directly from u dog that
had Just died Of acute hydrophoGia. | let
one of my two dogs thus nocniated alone,
and he went mad and died Of acute hydro
phobia. subjected the second dog to my
treatment, giving him the three rabbit in
oculations, beginning with the weakest and
ending with the strongest. This second dog
was completely cured, or rather became
completely inSlSceptble to hydrophobia."
N. Pasteur then went 10 y kennel and
caresscd q deg that had undergone this
latter operation. ''Voyez~ said NJ. Pas
| teur "commc il est bien scntil. Whoever
gets bitten by IL mad dog has only to submit
| to my three little inoculations aud nc need
not have the slightest fear Of hydrophobia."
NJ. Pastcur, whose researches in the germ
theory are known to, and keenle watched
by scientific men, and followed with interest
bv the public throughout the world, has
now attained lis object in the study Of
hydrophobia end will read a most impor-
/ tant paper before the Academy Of Sciences
shortly. N. Pasteur possesses quite col
| lection OF mad dogs, destined for expert
! menta! purposes. The unfortunate animals
are kept in building annexed to N. Pas
teur's laboratory at tie Ecolo Nnrmalc
Superieure. III the Rue d'Ulm, forming part
of the old buildings Of the College Rollin.
At present there are thirty-six dogs, nearly
one hundred rabbits, several monkeys and
guinea pigs, ali in a moro or less rabid state.
The illustrious savant is bringing to
close his thorough inquiry into hydrophobla,
and the results will crown the series of his
great discoveries on hospital diseases and
animal vaccination. He has now succeeded
in inoculating animals with hydropho-
bia in different degrees, and by the
application Of the method so successful
in blood poisoning or carbon diseases
il cattle-namely, by the incubation
of virus attenuated i'll intensity-has now
discovered that dogs and all animals
generally may be rendered proof against the
dread disease by true vaccination. Some OF
the dogs on which he is experimenting, in
oculated three or four times during the last
three years, are still alive and well, and
henceforth proof against hydrophobia.
The dogs used by N. Pasteur are provided
from the Paris pound, or fourriere, in the
Rue de Poissv. and cost him two francs q
head. After certain lapse oftime all dogs
at the fourriere not claimed Or sold are
slaughtered. The animals handed over to
NJ. Pasteur are divided by him into two cat.
eeores-thc first, called witnesses" are
doomed to death within a given tlme-that
is. the period cf the incubation ofthe rabid
virus with which they are totally inoculated;
the second arc merely subjected to ra5!c
vaccination. The comparison between the
effects of natural virus and the same II an
attenuated form is thus easily established.
Some of the dogs succumb and others escape
the disease, according to whether they were
or were not vaccinated. All the ANIMALS
are kept within specially constructed iron
cages, the disposition of which allow Of the
1ons beinu attended TO and watched without