, 1888-07-10
HvpaoenoelA AND FRIGHT.
Death, Attributed to tho Former Really
Caused by tho Latter.

ABhAtA ~ Nho NoIAnCE ANCAtl
Caused by tho Latter.
The principal event In the convention
Of the State Medical association was the
discussion over the existence Of hydro
phobia The debate was interesting and
valuable, and while there was q great
difference of opinion on certain points,
all agreed that the public were unneces-
Shrlly scared over ~hydrophobia; that
even alleged cases were of great rarity,
and that in the majority of cases in
which death resulted from a dogs bite
nydrophohia was not the cause of death.
All the popular symptoms of h%ydropho-
tla were shown to be common to many
forms Of commissions tetanic and convul-
sions resulting from hysteria.
Dr T.. w. Dulles, who had been ap-
pointed by the society to investigate hy-
drophobia, read his report for the year.
fasteur's methods, he said, were not at
tracing the same attention they did a
year OF so ago, and are in a fair way to
lie ont. Pasteur had only treated 806
cises the previous year, he said, where
he had formerly treated 300 a month";
Plsteur's method had no effect in de-
creasing the mortality of those who fall
into terror over hydrpphobia. 'Pasteur
knew nothing Of ~hydrophobia. In the
last year there had been fifteen cases in
this country Of alleged ~hydrophobia. He
specified several cases, one being the case
OF n man who dreamed he died of hydro
phobia, and on awakening was taken
with commissions through fright and
died.
The fear is worse than the bite, " said
ID Dulles, 'for not one of the animals
In ihc cases mentioned gave evidence
thai they had the rabies. The living in
dread of death from hydrophobia is often
the cause of death. Too often the dag
nusis of the case Is made by the laity and
confirmed by the doctor. There is moth
ing more senseless, more cruel, more cal
culated to cause death than the ~senseless
test Of water" DIR. Dulles spoke of the
eNaggeration of forcible restraint sup
posed 10 be necessary in hydrophobia
catses, and denounced the use of narcot-
les '~'Hydrophobia is q misnomer," he
said. ''snd is not a specific inoculable
disease. | do not deny people fall into a
certain state after being bitten by a mad
dog but | do deny that the state is pro-
duced by canine virus. Fright and
other factors throw the patient into a
condition. not into a disease. Wher-
ever there les little talk there Is little
disease. uy~drophobia was unknown in
Pennsylvania this last year, and belief in
II will follow the fate of the belief in
wltchcraft."
In. Shakespeare, of this city, dissented
from the opinions of DR.. Dulles, and said
he spoke only from he standpoint of a
medical antiquarian and a clinician, and
did not speak from laboratory knowl-
edge. DIR. Shakespeare held that the
teachings Of laboratory experiments were
IN favor of belief in hydrophobia beyond
tue power of controversy. BE said the
work there proved the existence of rabies
as an infectious disease IL the animal
kingdom, and the strong probability was
that it was infectious in man as well as
In the lower animals, for the same symp-
toms were observed in both. The as
sumption that man is an exception to the
rule that hydrophobia is infectious, he
said. was arrant nonsense.
DIR. Trail Green, who is almost 80
years old. made a strong speech, treating
hydrophohio as a myth. ''This state is
not so prevalent as people believe" he
said. Mad dogs are rare, very rare.
In all my experience l have never had a
case, and hose l heard Of and inquired
into turned out to be humbugs. | want
to see the people delivered from this
scare. It's a wonder we live at all;
we're so afraid of everything. People
die Of the fright, and it Is a DOCTORS
business to keep his patients from being
scared"
DR.. Rahter, Of Harrisburg, gave the
case Of a young girl which he considered
a real case of ~hydrophobia. DIR. @. K.
Mills said the so called hydrophobia
symptoms could be explained in other
ways as a resultant from other diseases.
The commissions might result from the
tearing by a sharp instrument, and would
be OF the nature of lockjaw. He said:
I'VE ought TO do all we can to relieve
the public of fear" DR.. Frank Wood
bury said he considered it a settled thing
that hydrophobia and rabies did exist,
but that they were rare diseases. Most
people die of fright, he said, especially
young women.
DR.. Green said that DR.. Dulles was
doing a good work. 1.-THE fear is broad
cast" he said, Sin every one's mind.
Even councils show their fear by passing
ordinances to muzzle dogs in the summer
time when there are fewer cases of al
legged rabies than at any other time. l
don't want the people TO be scared, and
! say such action is nonsense"
DR.. Dulles concluded the debate. He
said hat there was too much dictation
from the laboratory. He did not deny
that rabies may be propagated, but said
such propagation was wholly artificial.
II do not deny that there is such a dis
ease as rabies, but that disease is marked
by a desire for quiet, rest, repose and
water, while the alleged symptoms of
hydrophobia in man are Just the oppo-
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