The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-03-30
PROF. SPITZKA ON RABIES.
FEAR OF HYDROPHOBIA KILLS MORE
PERSONS THAN THE DISEASE.
A Question Over Which Doctors Havo
Long DisagTeed-A Fallacious Method
Of Demonstrating Rsbies-Details of an
Experiment-The Results.

Long Disagreed-A fallacious Method
Of Demonstrating Rsbies-Detaiis of an
Experiment-The Results.
In the spring OF 1886 Miss Morosini, a
daughter Of Jay Gould's associate, was bitten
by pet dog, which was promptly killed. An
autopsy was made by Dr. A. +. Liautard, a
veterinary surgeon OF this city, who found
lone large bird feather" III the stomach. Tho
presence Of inedible substances in the dogs
stomach was formally accepted as almost
indisputable proof that the animal was Iaad,
but Professor Spitzka says he has examined
scores Of dogs, and he gives the following as
the result Of such examinations:
Not one of the animals showed any signs
/ OF rabies. There was scarcely one, and GER
tainly not one youns dog, III whose stomach
! did not find more or less foreign material.
( | remember that kite strings and top pegs
were frequent; that coal, ashes, straw, feath-
ers and cotton spools were occasional find
| ings. Shoe leather, pieces OF cloth and, If
remember rightly pocket knife, but GER
tainly some unusual article Of metal, In a
pet dog"
Yet this dog was pronounced mad, and the
case was deemed by her family physician
sufficiently grave to warrant the sending Of
! the young lady TO Paris for treatment by
Pasteur Meanwhile the brain Of the butch
| cred dog was pr, served and Il healthy dog
/ was inOculated on the brain with particle
VI it. At the end Of sixteen days this dog
/ was pronounced mad, it having showed the
first symptoms OF dumb rabies-that Is, pa
ralysis Of the lower jaw The mouth was
l L.. IL
abundant saliva flowed from the mouth.
Still the dog was very atfectionate. This Is
not quotation from Professor Spitzka, but
from the chronicler OF the case This was,
of course, accepted as contirmatory evidence
that the dog which bit Miss Morosini was
mad Fortunately, however, for that young
| lady, she had sufficient strength OF mind, or
enough confidence in Pasteur's treatment, to
render her proof against an attack OF by
drophoba Concerning this case Professor
/ Spitzka says:
'lhe method OF demonstrating rabies by
direc; incubation of tho brain Is fallaclous.
| The conclusion drawn by Liautard, from an
experiment thus performed, that the River
dale dog was MAD was obtained by mislead-
in. methods. With regard 10 the dumb
I raLie. which Or Liautard thought he had
produced in the second dog, every physician
familiar with the researches Of Schin,
Flourens, Hitzlg, Elitsch and Goltz will rec
osnize in it the ordinary results OF expert
Iaental and inlammatory disturbance of the
brain functions in the dog According Is
the irritating injection affects one ccrtical
field or the other the paralysis will vary, but
! paraplegia is quite characteristic Of menin-
gifts and encephalitis in the dog"
In plain language, the Inflammation Of the
brain set up by the placing OF foreign sub
stauce under the skull and in contact with
the brain matter is sufficient to account for
all the symptoms displayed by dogs expert
mented on and commonly pronounced those
Of genuine rabies This was eventually
proved quite satisfactorily by Professor
Spitzka and his associates They obtained a
number of healthy dogs and inoculated their
brains with various substances, such as q
particle OF the spinal cord Of healthy calf,
an emulsion Of Calls cord, an emulsion from
the brain of man who was supposed 10
have died Of hydrophobia, a piece Of common
yellow soap and stale uremic liquid. The
effects of the inoculatiOns with these various
substances were substantially the came as
that of the virus from the supp0, mad dog
which bit Miss Morosini. In face Professor
Spitzka says there were 10 symptoms OF
hydropiobia related Of Dr. Liautard's ami
NAL which were not present in those dogs.
he was inclined to pronounce the mental dis
turbances resembling dumb rabies, so called,
much greater than the animals he expert
mented on
These dogs were confined in the veterinary
O.
tenth street, near Avenue A, and some Of
them may still be seen there. Il mongrel
BULLDOG. inocuIated with healthy calls cord,
manifested on the third day slight droop Of
the left upper eye lid, the eyes appeared dull,
there was manifest paralysis OF the hind legs,
the tail sometimes fell between them, the dis
position was exceedingly friendly, he wagged
his tail feebly, crawled forward and fawned
as soon as the door was opened. On the
seventh day he manifested desire to devour
foreign substances. On tho eighth day, al
though his disposition toward the expert
mentalists was unchanged, he quarreled with
another dog over food. On the eleventh day
the paraplegic gait was very marked The
dog seemed to he acting lmpulsiyely at
times; attempted to swallow dry drum
SUCK VI lO"A, NAi NNeAA AtfS SaeSh NSuSA
foreign substances If not prevented. A mon
grel Spitz, which had been uoted as rather
an aggressive animal before the operation,
became, in three days, entirely changed
fawned, wagged its tail, and chung to any
one who would give 1t friendly word. On
The eleventh day the paraplegia was more
marked, the animal was unable to jump
down distance Of two feet, but let itself
down on its fore feet and then slid down the
rest OF It's body. At the Same timeit had be-
come shy, avoided visitors, crouched and
concealed itself.
Here is the seventh days record OF large
cur inocuated with twenty drops Of an emul- |
sion Of calls cord
The animal is very stupid, runs against
objects. does not avoid obstacles and exhibits
decided ,nanege movements, running in cir
Giles to tho right. On being reused. when
living down, which Il the animals usual
position, it rolls over and frequently. slips
with its hind legs, which tremble a great
deal At night this dog bowls q great deal
and growls at people entering the court at
all times. There is a question as TO whether
It is able to sec well; but owing to its stupid.
ity. il is difficult TO settle this point satisfac