Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-12-26
MISTAKES ABOUT HYDROPHOBIA.
Some Popular Beliefs which Are Net
Only Erroneous, But Dangerous.

Some Popular Beliefs Which Are Not
Only Erroneous, But Dangerous.
From the New York sun.
zone would think" said veterinary surgeon
yesterday, who is a great admirer of fine dogs,
tnat this recent semtepidemic OF hydr0pho-
Ola over In New Jersey, occurring as 1t does In
the winter, would have tendency to disabuse
people OF some OF the dog day nonsense which
causes SO much needless torture to dogs in mid
summer. But suppose it will have no more
enect this year than It has in years past
There is, probably, no disease about which so
many people are so obstinately superstitious
ana ignorant as they are about hydro.
pnooia. The very name of the maady is mis-
LeA9ing and erroneous. Mad dogs do not fear
OF nate water. as the term hydrophobia Inn
disease is q craving for water an intense thirst;
ana the animal will plunge his nose deep down
- o me liquid when drink is given to HIM 1t
~ IN the later stages of the disease that the
estlipie spasms OF the pharynx occur when an
aet.ehpt Is made to swallow liquids. This mis-
reason; that people who are iaboring under it
believe that If dog showing suspicious symp-
to n; Gan drink he is all right, whereas he may
De rignt on the verge of that form of the mad
ness In which he snaps at everything within
re :af,l and infiicts his most deadly poison.
put TO come back to what l started to say
Pnopia is that 1t is most prevalent in the hot
months. A surprising number of people hold
II as an article OF faith that the dog days are so
G ,sa,,e,ar because that season is particularly
dangerous to dogs. At all events the belief is
almost universal that July and August are
the months in which to look out for mad dogs.
AS matter of fact statistics show that there is
less nydrophobia in those two months than in
any IN the year, and that cases of hydrophobia
winter, that is, In November and December and
IN feDruary and March, are rather more than
have only rad as sney are IN any
tnls Inc numerous reports of cases with
Mnicn Inc papers are at this moment filled
England kept a record of hydrophoba cases
FOR a series OF years, and the result was
i sas ne that in England at
month. A record kept in France during a Sc
RES OF ten years showed an average OF 20 cases
IN January, 81 in March and 25 IN April, while
IN July there were only II. From this series of
observations the inference was drawn that the
disease was much more prevalent in the rainy
ror, like the error about aversion to water being
q symptom Of the disease, is also a source Of
during e Moths SsR When It is safest to e
them run at large, and let them run at large
Just when they are most liable to the disease
but hydrophobia is after all so rare disease
that there is necessity of half the fuss that is
made over 1t. During the five years from 1865
to 1871 there were in New York city only twen-
ty-two cases, or an average of 32s per annum,
among the million and quarter OF people here.
shown BY long record kent i in Paris a where
during series of forty years only ninety-iour
cases occurred, or an average of ga per year
- t"UneSs it is true, and am somewhat skepti-
cal, that Pasteur has conquered the disease,
there has never been known Case of fully inoc-
uiated hydrophia that has been cured. An at
tack OF hydrophobia, unless Pasteur is right.
means nothing less than horrible death, and
although the disease is SO rare, it is very desira-
bic that the dangerous superstition and ignor-
ance concerning it, which are unfortunately so
general, should be removed. People should,
above all things, rid themselves of the false no.
toms of the disease. The first symptoms OF n.y.
drophobia in a dog are restlessness, constant
shifting about, and hunting for secluded places
to lie down. Then he has Authorizations. He will
stop and prick up his ears at imaginary noises
and dart at imaginary objects. He drinks fe-
verishiy until the throat spasl2s come on, and
even then he plunges his muZzle into the water
and tries to drink. The most distinctive 81 mp-
tom is the peculiar bark, which one who has
heard 1t once will always remember. The
voice is unnatural and hoarser, and the
bark is followed by series of shouts, half
howl, at quick intervals. Then the dog is
at his most dangerous stage. He will go
out of his way to dart at things and bite. Any
thing animate seems to irritate him to frenzy.
sometimes good-natured pet dog will not bite
It's master until the very last moment, and
occasionally not then unless provoked by cor
rection. They will even submit sometimes to
repeated Seedlings and blows before the terrific
madness that is consuming them gets the bet
ter of their selfcOntrol. Whenever dog, par
ticularly in the winter, shows signs of indispo-
sition, he should at once be secluded and care
fully watched. 1t will be but a few days, if he
has hydrophobia, before the symptoms become
unmistakable. Then he should be killed at
once.
GAS to the length of time 1t takes the disease
to develop there is nothing certain. 1t is said
to have lurked III the human system for three
years, but this has not been authenticated, and
do not believe it. But there are rare instances
of its development at from u year TO seventeen
and eighteen months after the incubation. The
usual time, however, is from one to three
months: If you escape for six months alter
being bitten by a mad dog you may feel pretty
certain that you will not have hydrophobia."
DIR. David d. Toal, of l 81 Avenue B, says that
In the last Is years he has treated 1000 cases
of dog bite, and not had a single patient die of
hydrophObia. His first case was 10 years ago.
He went with DR.. LoOmis, under whom he
studied, to see some persons who had been Bit
ten. One, very beautiful young girl, acted
queerly, and DR.. LOOMS said She was troubled
with hysteria. DIR. Toal said it was hydropho-
bia, and predicted that the girl would be dead
| at o'clock the next day. She died at Pa.
Then DIR. TOal went to work and discovered his
remedy, which he said was a well-knOwn drug.
It was very simple aud was sure to succeed.
The doctor said that ii the children were sent
to him ne would pay all expenses, and would
give bonds 10 pay 81 900 to the parents Of any
child that died.
The Abuse of "TiDpinS.''
From the New York Tribune.
rho Stov, of oiy init; 70