The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-04-27
THE MADSTONE
Something about a Supposed
Cure forSHydrophobia.
Doctors Say Both the Stone and Cures
Effected by it are Mythical.

MauneSS IN QOSS,' Salu q physician,
"is mentioned in the Had Of Homer, and
hydrophobia is described as a disease by
Aristotle. Democritis, the laughing
philosopher, developed a theory of the
malady 400 years before the Christian era.
Hippocratcs, the father of medicine, and
contemporary with Dcmocratcs, recon-
mended the sucking of the wound made
by the bite of a rabid dog. In the alb
sence of a physician to cauterizc the
wound or n surgeon to cut it out, the
medical fraternity of to-day would pre-
scribe the same remedy. The first thing
an awkward person does when he smash
es his finger with a hammer is to jam the
injured member in his mouth. Persons
bitten by snakes nave removed
the, poison in the same manner.
'The absorbent qualities of certain
kinds of earth or clay have led to their
use in cases of poisonous bites to absorb
the poison, or laccration of the flesh to
stop the flow of blood. When the soli-
tary plowman encounters a nest of bees
and gets the worst of the contest he APP
plies Il handful of earth moistcncd with
tobacco juice to the stings. The adhc-
sive quality OF a spongy sort of clay prob
ably gave rise to the mythical stories con-
corning the use of madstoncs for bites of
rabid animals. Madstoncs lave q mysteri-
u history. Everybody has heard Of
them, but very few persons have seen
them. The encyclopedias describe them
as light, porous stones which have the
quality of adhcring to a wound. Their
origin is not even limited at, and their
peculiar qualities are not given. Medi-
cal authorities do not mention them,
though they speak of all the different
remedies applied to the wounds made by
animals afflicted with hydrophobia.
tradition says the stone is fat, oval
shaped, and of a blush color. It is said
that it will adhere to the poisoned
wound until filed with the virus, when
it falls off. After. being washed and
soaked in hot water or milk it will again
stick to the wound if it contains any
poisonous matter. It is claimed that
these stones are cfficacious if applied to
the wound several days or even several
weeks after the victim has been bitten by
the mad dog.
'The cures effected by this wonderful
stone arc mythical as the stone itself.
The possessors of these magic hcalers
claim many lives saved from rabies. The
medical records do not mention a case.
1t is impossible to lay your hands on the
man who has been bitten by a mad dog
anf2 Aved by the mad %-stonc."
"Gcorge P. Cunningham has made
the study of hydrophobia q speciality,
and it is more han probable has cautcr-
lied more wounds made by dogs than any
other man in Chicago. His office is II
few doors from the Chicago avenue
police station. Every person on the
North Side bitten by a dog supposed to
be mad rushcs to the station and the VIC
tim is hurried to DR.. Cunningham. For
ty to fifty dog-bitten people come to him
every year, and he estimates that he has
cautcrized over two hundred wounds
made by these animals. But three per-
sons whose wounds he has treated have
died of hydrophobia.
"f the maidstone is a fraud, the medi-
cal fraternity ought to prove it," DR..
Cunningham said. II have examined
all the encyclopedias and medical author
tiles that come within my reach to secure
some positive information concerning
madstones. I have not the slightest idea
OF their origin. I can't wen find out
what they look like. I have always
wanted to see one so that in rambling
about might pick up o stone that look
ed like it and make some experiments.
/ have never seen a person who had seen
one. They must have the power of a
~suction-pump if they can draw out the
poison that has been in the system two or
three weeks, as it is claimed they can do.
II imagine that a maidstone has about
as much effect as a piece of blotting pa
per. Anything that has absorbent quail
ties would be beneficial, but I should
hate to risk a maidstone thirty minutes
after the poison had entered the wound
even if it has the qualities claimed for it.
The virus enters the system the moment
after the bite. Not all of the poison is
taken up at once, of course, and by
prompS cauterization the remaining virus
Is destroyed. - Chicago News.
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