The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1888-01-11
RABIES OR LYSSOPHOBIA?
SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT
DR.. HAMlGG's EXPERIMENTS
Feeding and Handling Sick Canines--A
Poor Cure in Convulsions--Not a Case of
Hydrophobia--A Dogs Gratitude--Fear
of Rabies.

Feeding ana handling Sick Canines--A
Poor Cure in Convulsions--Not a Case of
Hydrophobin--A Dogs Gratitude--Fear
of Rabies.
In East Fourteenth street, near First
avenue, is a stable in which mad dogs are
treated. These animals are under the care
Of DR.. James Hamill, the we'll known vetei-
mary surgeon. For the past eighteen months
DR.. Edward G. Spitzka assisted by DR..
Nathan Il. Brill, has been conducting a series
of experiments with the object of proving or
disproving the alleged virtue Of Pasteuris
incubation against hydrophobia. During
this period DR.. Hamill has had the feeding
and handling of over twenty sick CANNES,
and has been bitten only once. He cauterized
the wound ON his thuuib, gave it no further
attention, and has never experienced any i'll
effects from it.
A few days ago, accompanied by n re-
porter, DIR. Hamill entered stall and called
detected looking dog TO him. Catching it
by the back of the neck he said: "rll show
you what so called hydrophobia isl
As the doctor put the dog down the animal
snapped at him, and then in fear he ran into
a corner. DR.. Hamill again seized the dog
somewhat roughly this time-dragged him to
the door and immersed his nose in pan of
milk, holding it there for several seconds
On being released the dog immediately went
into violent CONFUSION, frothing freely at
the mouth. The reporter stepped out into
the stable yard, and DIR. Hamill laughed.
Talk about Hermann's tricks said he,
rolling up his sleeves; sseo here.
DOGS GRATITUDE.
STOPPING over the writhing animal, he bo-
gan gently rubbing with both hands its back
and sides, much as one would caress favorite
dog who was above suspicion. At the same
time he kept repeating in a low, musical
voice the ordinary pet names which poor
doggieA is supposed to understand and be
longing to hear. In little moro than minute
the dog lay perfeetlYsstill If ever es-helpleaa
pup looked gratitude that one certainly did
as DR.. Hamill gently carried him back and
laid him down on bed of straw in Il corner
Of the stall
"Now, that was case OF what is ordinar-
lily called hydrophobian said DIR. Hamill as
he locked the invalid in. ut really is a case
of something like tetanus, or lockjaw While
was holding his nose in the milk could
feel the muscles Of his throat undergoing
spasms. He simply couldn't swallow Sup
pose that dog had got thirsty in the street
and had attempted to drinks He would have
exhibited similar symptoms. If, then,
crowd had raised the cry of Mad dogp and
began to pursue and brighten the animal
could anything else have occurred than that
he should have manifested all the symptoms
popularity ascribed TO hydrophobia, such as
swapping at everything within reach, froth
ing at the mouth, and turning and doubling
on his course2 Then, IL a person had been
bitten before a policeman could kill the dog,
would we not have had all the essentials of q
genuine hydrophobia easel Exaggerated de-
scriptions Of the dogs appearance and actions
would have reached the person bitten, and. if
his blood was out of order, a soreness would
have ensued, aggravated by the mind dwell
ing on tho case. Within n few hours the
victim would have been yelping and barking
and frothing in the orthodox manner, and
might possibly have died before morning
Yet the dog might have been only suffering
from this disease like loclSjaw, while the man
actually died from lyssophoba, which is tho
big word for fear of rabies, or dog Madness
Nine-tenths of all the so called cases of hy-
drophobia in man result from excessive
fright and the intense dwelling Of the mind
ON the dreadful results which are possible
REPRODUCTION OF SYMPTOMS.
In further conversation DR.. IIamill said
that the first inoculations were made from
the spinal column Of a healthy, freshly killed
calf, and thereafter mainly from the success
sive dead dogs. Every symptom described by
Pasteur had been thus reproduced, but not
all in the same dog. The inocmations were
made in the brain, and common soap seemed
to produce the most violent symptoms. Ho
thought that most of the so called mad dogs
were either suffering from arrangement of
the stomach Or from loekjaw lie considered
ia IF "a hain in OH