The St. Johns herald., 1886-09-09
FIGHTING OFF HYDROPHoBIA.
The Saving Effect of Will Power Employed
 against That Dreadful Disease.

The Saving Effect of Will Power Employed
 against That Dreadful Disease.
 heard General Beale give an inter. estlng account of his once fighting of ar attack of hydrophobia.
 1t Is the first case have ever heard oi a mans being able oy mere will power to throw of this formidable and terrible disease. The General apparently be- lIeYes that hydrophobia is but creation to a certain extent of the imagina ion.
 When he was young man he was Suryeyor-Generali in Southern California. During his residence there, through the purchase of land, he laid the foundation for his present fortune. His favorite sport at that time was the hunting of wolves.
 The hunters would go out armed with lances and follow trained dogs. The dogs would run down the wolves. Im- mediately following the attack one wolf would always leave the dogs and como to attack the hunter.
 The General said one day when a wolf came towards the lance, with which he could easily keep of and destroy any wolf making an ordinary attack, broke. As bis lance broke he started to kick the wolf under the jaw. His foot missed its x1lI1s tbllO ll10OCcS4 WoO O6Oe4S HI SAS wolfs mouth.
 The wolf bit clear through his mocca- sin and wounded him severely. So grim was the grip of the wolf that he did not even release his hold when killed. The muscles supporting his jaws had to be cut before his teeth could be relaxed from his terrible grip.
 When the General Ietp' ned to camp, as he was alone durin6 is experience, be was met by cheerful companion. who told him that the bite of an enraged wolf was certain to produce hydropho- bia. The wolf was undoubtedly in a condition to communicate the rabies, as he had been worried to great extent by the dogs before he attacked the General.
 General Beale says that he did not have any opportunity of cauterizing the wounds, and had attached no particular importance to the bite until he had re- turned to camp.
 There was hardly day passed but what his companion referred to cases of hydrophobia resulting from wolf bites. The result of this continued talk upon the subject was to produce a great de- pression in General Beale's mind.
 Within short time he began to feel symptoms of an approaching attack of hydrophobia. He had the most extra ordinary aversion to water. It was with difficulty that he could swallow. A swelling came fin his throat which threat ened to close whenever he sought to drink. 1t was only by an extraordinary effort of the will that he could force him. self to swallow.
 One day the General said to himself that unless he combated this growing feeling he felt certain he would have an attack of hydrophobia. So one morning he walked deliberately to spring and thrust his head into the water. He said as he approached his head to the water he fett the most intense desire to jump and scream and run away from it. But he held himself right there and moved his head up and down in the water until he conquered this impulse and aversion.
 He followed up this practice until he felt the swelling in his throat going down and his aversion to water lessen ing. He felt that he was getting control and this encouraged him. In short time all symptoms of the disease had disappeared.
 The General was firmly convinced that If he had for one moment relaxed his ,vIll mower during that trying time he ,vou,d have passed directly into flt or the widest kind of hydrophoola.
 He has never suffered from the Olte oA the wolf since that time, although It oc- cured over twenty-five years aeo'- IN, I. World.