The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-07-14
UNFORTUNATE RABBITS.
Harmless Animals That Are to Be Expert-
mented Upon in New York.


Harmless Animals That Are to Be Experi-
mented Upon in New York.
DIR. Valentine Mott has returned from
Pars. A liver-colored rabbit devouring
lettuce leaves in bird-cage was the
first object that met the eyes of the yisi-
tors who called at his home the other
afternoon. The second was DR.. Mott,
Sr., arrayed in a velveteen operating
jacket, standing in the door of his study
with his gaze riveted on that docile,
long-eared quadruped, as though he
expected to see it any moment stand
erect on its hind legs and execute sail
or's hornpipe. Commonplace looking
as the rabbit is, the successful demon
stration of Pasteur's theory in America
is dependent upon it's good behavior.
That is the first one that we have
inoculated," said DR.. Mott, pointing to
o scarcely perceptible wound at the apex
of the rabbits head. "'The animal did
not suffer the slightest discomfort i'll the
operation. We gave it chloroform and
stitched up the aperture with silk thread.
He has been munching away like good
one ever since. The virus was obtained
from the spinal marrow of the inocu-
lated rabbit given my son by Pasteur,
which died on board the Etruria just
before land was sighted. 1t will be
more than a week before the disease is
fully developed in this fellow" Within
DR.. Motifs snug study were DIR. Valen-
tine Mott, DR., DR.. Doremus and dozen
RABBITS. The doctors reclined in easy
chairs, and the rabbits were eooped up
in curious little boxes, with only their
long ears and pink noses visible. Sus-
pended in Theoretically sealed glass
Jar on the table hung the spinal mar
row of the Partisan rabbit. 1t was sat.
urated with carbolic acid, and was by nc
means a notwithstanding morsel.
Near it reposed NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
instrument, a cross between the small
boy'spop-gun and ahypodermic syringe.
This is used for injecting the virus into
the rabbits cerebel1um. There were
also On the table several keen-edged,
long bladed operating knives, spirit
lamp, tweezers and other surgical in
struments.
In reply to questions young Dr. Mott
said that DR.. Pastcnr had intrusted him
with all his formulas and full and COM
plete directions for preparing the virus
and alternating it by q series of hypo-
dermic injections until it was in a
proper state to be injected into the hui
man being. ut would be premature to
speak as yet of the work which we hope
to accomplish said he I'm 4 short
time | shall know definitely whether the
months which | have spent in Paris
studying Pasteur's system lave been
months wasted So far / have every
reason to think that our experiments
will be crowned with success, | have
successfully inoculated two rabbits, and
shall inoculate several more. If we
succeed, our aim will be to founda hos
pital, where persons suffering from
rabies, or those who have been
bitten by mad dogs, can be treated free
of charge, thus doing away with the de-
lay and Inconvenience of q three-thou-
sand-mile trip across the Atlantic.
In reply to the question whether he
anticipated any interference on the part
of Henry Bergh, DR.. Valentine Mott,
Sr., said: 1--WE have Strengthened thai
all out. In the first place the charter OF
the Mott Memorial Medical and Surgical
Library, next door, authorizes us to per-
form such experiments, and, to make
assurance doubly sure, obtained GER
tificate from the faculty of Bellevue to
the effect that these operations were
painless to the animals and of the great
est possible benefit to science. No,
! don't think we shall try any expert.
nents on dogs or cats just YET" ~ T.
FStar.