Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1886-11-13
HYoROPHosiA.
The Results OF Recent Observations
Prevalent misconceptions About
1t>-wherein Danger or Rabies
Exists statistics OF Nor
tnltry

tanty.
Every passing simmer brings its quo
la of stories that have gone mad, Of
childrea and people bitten. and of
whole neighborhoods thrown into states
Of widest excitement BY the supposed
presence Of rab!d animal in the
neiglborhood.
Living In neighborhood where sew
eral alarms were sounded during the
last few months. the writer was more
impressed with his own as well Us the
ignorance Of other people about its pc.
culiarities than with the disease itself.
and in his search for the literature ON
the subject, in the hope Of spreading
some enlightment found nothing more
recent OF authoritative than narticle on
"HydrophObis in Paris" contributed
by NJ. Duiardin. Besumeta to that most
remarkable Of periodic publicati ons.
Les Lettrss et les Arts.
To he sure. the writer of the article
in question is a believer in Pasteur and
his theories, although there are many
who speak of the learned French scien-
tist as IA charlatan. Nevertheless, NJ.
Dujardin- Beanmetz is man of high
standing. and whether his theories are
correct or not, the facts he presents are
interesting and have been gathered BY
observation the modern scientific
method.
have spoken of the writer As man
of high standing and distinction. He
was, IL appears, delegated in 1881 by |
the department Of health in Paris 10 |
observe the manifestations Of HYDRO |
phobia in man, and in this connection |
was sent to Constantinople to learn, il |
poss be. the canses Of the immunity |
enjoyed both by its dogs and its inkabi. |
tants from the disease His mission, |
therefore. was thoroughly scientific ,
one. and since man has II peculiar af- |
lection for dogs. and. as the essayists |
say. wherever there are large congre- |
cations of people there are bound to be 1
many dogs and many cases of hydro
phobia, his researches are Is applicable |
10 New York rs to the French capital. |
With a population ia Paris OF over |
s,OOO, 900 in 1885, there were close up.
ON 10000 dogs statistically accounted |
for. and probably from 10000 to $4,000 |
more which escaped the tax and the
scrutiny OF officers, making total of
almost 100000 dogs Such number of |
animals congregated in the narrow
limits OF city offers the most entcing
TELL for the spread of contagious
disease. The number of rabid animals.
according TO statistics Of Leblanc and
Alexandra. Is startling. In 1881, there
were 6lj cases; 1882. 276; 1885, 1872:
1884. 3Ol. and in 1885, 5lS. The |
Huinber OF The cases of human hydro
phobia varied with the cases Of dog
madness as follows: la 1881 there
were ~ deaths of human beings. while
In 1885. when The rabid animals were
Fewer. there were only tive cases of
The human disease registered: but while
there is relationship between the two
no definite ratio can be fixed. !
at is mistake" says Duardin-
beaimeIz. ito suppose that all persons
bitten by rabid animals attain the dis
ease. Pasteur. In O communication
made 10 the Academy OF Medicine.
stated his belief that not one out of
ak persons bitten by rabid dog would
contract the disease. This belief he
'oanded on statistics furnished by the
department OF police. NJ Duiardin.
Beaumetz goes even further than this.
saying that owing 10 the incomplete
statistics gathered by the police, be
should fix the number at Que in every
fifteen. or even twenty. We ought"
he SAYS. ''iirst of all to establish this
ixw-that Is, that persons bitten
through their garments do not contract
hydrophob;a. since the slightest texture
will wipe the teeth Of the dog and pre-
vent the penetration Of the rabid virus
INTO the system. In all the cases of
hydrophOb that have Observed Che
had treated rs many Us fifty cascs) lin
mankind during the last live wears
everyone Of thom had been produced
oy bite on the uncovered parts. In
exceptional cases have seen the dis.
ease appear after bite through gar.
mont; but here the animal. in hard
light, has torn the clothing to pieces
and thus permitted the teeth 10 pene.
trate to the naked part. Bites on the
hands and face are usually the ones to
produce hydrophobia. those on the
the hands being more frequently the
cause. Children. Offering more naked
parts to the rabid dog, are for this rea-
son more often Overlaken by the
malsdy. Furthermore. a child offers
less resistance than naa.
1T should be remembered that it is
not alone The bite OF rabid dog that
can transmit the disease 10 man. A
touch OF the tongue is enough to inocu-
late u it comes in contact with any raw
part Of the skin. Indeed, inocuiation
oil this Kind may be said To I've the most
dangerous. because il almost invariably
passes unnoticed. remember to have
seen a Young man in rabid lii while
Was with DIR. Leroy DIES Barres. at 81.
Denis. The lad was a workman. and
had picked up little stray dog from
the street. The animal covered him
Win caresscs, and among other things
l,eked his lips, after which he ran away.
simple contact had been enough To
cause the death of The poor fellow. The
history Of hydrophobia is full of aualo.
gous eases. where the tour..e Of the dog.
covered with contamination, has spread
The disease by the simple act Of touch
ing IN imperceptible scratch.
Nevertheless men who are bitten
ON uncovered parts sometimes escape
Inc disease. A thousand circumstances
rlSht prevent the virus from penetra-
ting. Bleeding may carry the vrulent
sicmens away. or the dog D., previous