The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-03-25
THE DOGS TONGUE.
An Alleged Indian Superstition Which 10
Both Old and Absurd.

Both Ola ana Absurd
A correspondent from Washington
makes statement (said to have been
obtained from an Indian chief which.
gaining wide publicity, may be the in
direct cause of much needless cruelty
to that most faithful of our domestic
pets, the dog, by melting overcareful
persons or idle experimentalists to un-
dertake the removal of the supposed
''worm" from beneath the tongue of
our semper fidelis canine friends. This
Indian ventured the information to the
correspondent that under the tongne
of every dog there is a worm situated,
which ordinarily does no harm, but if
the animal be placed under favorable
conditions will be the cause of pro-
ducing rabies or hydrophobia. If the
'.worm'' be cut out the disease will
never be produced spontaneously in the
dog, neither will he contract the dis
ease from the bite of rabid animal,
this man claims.
That this senseless idea does not
originate with the chief, or his tribe of
aboriginals, is evident from the fact Of
the very general knowledge of the
practice in different parts of the globe.
George Fleming, a noted English
veterinarian, in his work on hpdropho-
bia, says that the poet Gratius Faliscus,
of the first century of our era, speaks
of the fable of the worm in the dog s
tongue being the cause of the disorder,
| and that Pliny, in the same century.
writes: ..If the 'lytta. or small worm,
be removed from a dogs tongue, he
win never become mad or lose his APP
petite and eff the worm be carried
thrice around fire and given to per-
son who has been bitten by a mad dog
it will prevent his going mad.
| In opposition to this worse than use
| less practice can make no stronger
! argument than quote from Fleming S
rabies and Hydrophobia,' London,
the dogs tongue, or 'worming, as it is
| popularly termed, has been practiced
from the day of Pliny to our own time,
and is. as might be expected, per-
fectly useless, nay, injurious and pain
1 full operation. Beneath the organ, in
| the middle, is somewhat loose, ten
dinous looking fold of membrane,
which constitutes what, in technical
language, is called the sfr9num, or
bride of the tongue, and is designed to
assist the animal in tapping. When in
it's ordinary relaxed condition this
4 fr8num looks like small worm, and
the resemblance is perhaps even more
complete when it has been torn out;
hence the name of the operation, which
is cruel one and gives the poor dog a
very sore mouth for several days, in
addition to redering the tongue less
capable of performing it's important
functions. The supposition that this
procedure will prevent a dog from be.
coming spontaneously rabid, or liable
to infection if bitten, is excessively
| absurd, as the presence of the imagin
ary worm has no influence whatever il
the production of the malady, while it,
absence must be a source of incon
venience to the dog, and far more
/ likely to induce rabies than to preven
| its occurrence. The operators justl,
deserve the punishment which will bt
awarded them should they come within
the cognizance of the Royal Society fo
the prevention of Cruelty to Animals
DIR. Samuel johnson, who was never a
loss for definition, when alluding t,
the opinion prevalent in his time will
regard to this worm, called it "a sub
stance, nobody knows what, extracted
| nobody knows why. Cor. st. Lostt
| Globe Democrat