The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-01-12
CURE FOR HYDROPHOBIA.
DIR. PAsTEUR,s NOTED nEmEpy y.
The French ChcInist's Method of Treating
The Bite of n Mad Dog.

Tie Bite of n Mad Dog.
A Paris correspondent says, l have
just visited the great DR.. Pustcur. who,
during the past fortnight has announced
the discovery of what he believes to be
All antidote for the bite of u mad dog.
He is not an old man, being probably
not over SIS years of age. His we'll
trimmed chin whiskers arc slightly grey
but his hair is still quite dark. He is
not over five feet seven inches high, but
is rather stoutly built. One leg is stiff.
He speaks no English. His speech is
slow and distinct and his bearing is I'M
assuming and modest. When 1 entered
his office 1 found it filled with patients
who had come from all parts of Europe
to be treated by him for bites of mad
dogs. His assistants were busily en-
gagged treating ugly-looking wounds on
the legs, arms, and bodies of patients
while he stood by and superintendent
the work. His treatment is wholly by
incubation.
81 do not yet know any remedy for
the patient after the disease has mani
tested itself" said DR.. Pasteur. Gail
my discoveries, SO far, relate only to
preventing hydrophobia after persons
1ioNS pSSh OltCSu. 1lliG }tuClSlOlC L IllFC
discovered, for Of the twenty persons
that L AVE treated not one has shown
any symptoms of the disease"
There was a card published by the
great novelist 'Ouida' n few days ago.
DR.. Pastcur, in which she said that She
had personally known of six cases of ami
mails and persons bitten by mad dogs,
and with no treatment whatever not one
developed into hydrophobia. How do
you explain that2" I asked.
"That is quite possible" replied the
Doctor. "Statistics show that so out
of 100 persons who are bitten do not be-
come mad. do not claim my expert
mcnts to be conclusive, although l have
treated these twenty cases of persons and
several hundred cases of dogs and
rabbits and other animals, and not one
SO treated has been affected"
'tHow long does it take for the disease
to manifest itself2"
Casually the victim shows symptoms
Of ~hYdrophobla within six months after
the bite, but sometimes it is three or
four years. After that time I would
consider the danger past. The first
symptoms ARE paralysis. 1t is a disease
of the nerves not of the blood, and per-
sons of a nervous disposition are the
most susceptible to it if bitten"
"Does fear enter largely into the
chances leading to it?"
"Fcar may weaken the nervous force
and so make the person more susceptible
to the effects after having been bitten,
but fear cannot produce hydrophobia.
1t never comes spontaneously, but
always through a bite, or at least
through the saliva of an animal having
the disease. If you have a slight scratch
on your skin and a mad dog shouldlick
that scratch, you might get hydropho-
bia."
What is your method?" was asked.
81 began my experiments in 1882, in
this way" replied DIR. Pasteur. ~ took
q portion of the spinal cord of a dog
which had died Of hydrophobia, and
with that I inoculated a rabbit in the
first membranes of the BRAIN. It went
mad III fifteen days. Then with a
portion of the spinal cord of this rabbit
I inoculated another rabbit in the same
way and it went mad in thirteen days,
and so IL continued NEGOTIATIONS
from rabbit to rabbit, finding the strength
of the virus increase each time until the
ninetieth time produced hydrophobia in
only seven days. I then took a very
small portion of the spinal cord of this
ninetieth rabbit, and which contained
the greatest virulcnce yet obtained, and
I suspended these bits of virus in
empty bottles in which the air was kept
very dry by means of potash on the bot
tom of the bottle. After several days
exposure in q dry, cold temperature the
virus loses all its strength. The time
required for this loss depends upon the
size of the piece and the dryness and
GOODNESS of the air. Then of this virus
which has lost it's strength I take a
small portion dissolved in sterile bouill-
ion, and with a pravaz syringe I inocu-
late the animal. Each day l inoculate
it again with virus, just a little stronger
each time, until at last the system has
become SO accustomed to the poison
that I can use the virus which had not
been dried at all, and which would pro-
duce hydrophobia in seven days if the
system has not been so treated to it by
degrees. I have treated one hundred
dogs in this way, and not one has be-
come mad"
"Is there moro hydrophobia in France
than in other countries?"
"No; there is just US much in America
in some parts as in France. 1t does not
depend much On climate, for it never
m spontaneously"
DR.. Pasteur then condu cted nae to the
basement, where IN cages he has hun
dreds of rabbits, some of which have