The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-07-02
The Hydrophobia Nonsense.

The Hydrophobia Nonsense.
The wise (?) Solons of the incor-
porated town of Plankinton have
insulted the intelligence Of their con-
stituency by passing dog ordinance,
which, were it not for its cruelty,
would be intensely amusing. The
poor rabi-mad Solons take nearly q
half column of nonpareil type to
illustrate to what extent a body of
city officials can, when the right
opportunity offers, make gigantic
asses of themselves. Tie ordinance
provides, among other things, that all
dogs found running at large during
the months of June, July, August
and September, unless securely muz-
zled, may be slain by any person.
Now, we believe that almost every
town has too many dogs-particularly
is this true of Dakota villiages-and
that it is right and proper that ordin.
ances and regulations pretaining to
them should be enacted. A dog is a
domestic animal, the same as horse,
COW or sheep, and ought to be taxed
accordingly and likewise protected.
1t is well enough, also, to have every
dog registered and provided with
collar bearing its owners name; but
the muzzled is an instrument belong
ing to the Dark Ages, and should be
classed with the vice, thumbscrew and
rack. Why should it be used when
scientists acknowledge that it answers
NO sanitary purpose, and incaloulably
Injuries the animal, preventing free
respiration, and denying 70 him the
privilege of drinking at that season
! of the year when water is most sought
and needed? For years we have col
lected statistics of the cases of rabies
reported through the papers and medi-
cal journals, which show that at least
three out of Sve cases that haue oc.
Cured in that time occurred in the
months Of December, January and
February. Any well-read physician
who has made hydrophobia a study
| will affirm that scientific authorities
agree that rabies is more prevail
ant during the winter months than
during the so called "dog days" With
this result before US, we can but con-
slider the muzzle as q mechanical
contrivance desirable for vicious dogs
only. 1t also proves to be an excel
lent shuttle.cock for the Solons who
constitute the law.givers of our cities.
How many persons who read this
have ever seem mad dog? How
many would know one if they saw it?
The cases of rabies i'll dogs are so
extremely rare that not one book
upon the dog ever written contains
word pretaining to this disease. All
that has been written upon the sub
ject has been mostly written by men
who would 60 into convalsions if
they came in contact with a bologna
sausage during the summer months.
Among the thousands and thousands
of dogs taken into the dog pound of
London not one case of rabies has
ever been knocn.
The public from one end of the
country to the other is aware Of the
consequences of the Newark mad dog
scare. One fool makes many; and in
this instance they multiplied faster
than usual. The statements of the
New York sensational press were
telegraphed to every daily paper in
America, and the excitment in many
places was az great as in Newark.
But after the bitten children had
returned from Paris, after having
been inoculated by Pasteur, it turned
out ths. the biting dog was not mad,
but a poor inoffensive animal which
was assaulted by a lot of young
scamps, and which in its terror fought
its way through their ranks to escape
a pelting from stones and sticks.
Seven dogs bitten by the alleged
rabid animal were kept confined for
weeks, awaiting the development Of
rabies, but it never came and they
were liberated. Thus exploded the
biggest mad dog scare this country
ever saw. But during that time the
fear engendered by the statements
sent out by sensational press
dethroned reason and common sense.
Timid men and women, and children
old enough to realize the horrors of
the statements, were tortured with
the fear of possibly horrible death.
Every dog in Newark and vicinity
which showed any vivacity and every
dog which failed to show unusual
animation was looked on as rabid,
and the consequences was numerous
perfectly healthy and valuable
animals were cruelty murdered. And
despite the good work of such papers
as the Chicago Inter Ocean nearly
all sections of the country had mad
dog scare. Southeastern Dakota is
having q touch of it now, and the
Plankinton ordinance shows to what
extent blind folly and ignorance will
60. We are free to acknowledge
that their have been cases of deaths
from bites of rabid dogs, but asser,
positively that in the majority of
cases death has come through feal
and nervousness alone, and we also
maintain that nine tenth of the alleged
rabid dogs are suffering from some
harmless desease. We admit, also
: that human life is worth more thar
all the dogs on earth; but a human