The Dickinson press., 1888-05-26
RABIES OR LYSs0pH0BIA?
SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT
DR.. HAMlLL'S EXPERIMENTS

F'cdlns and Handling sick Caniues-A
Poor Cure in Convulsion.-Not n Case of
IIy'lrophobia-.A Dogs Gratitudc-Fear
of Rabies.
In East Fourteenth street, near First
avenue. Is I, stable in which mad dogs are
treated. These animals are under the care
OF III. James Hamill, the well known vcter-
mary surgeon. For tho past eighteen months
Dr. Edward G. Spitzku, assisted Ly Dr..
Nathan t. Brill. has been conductinra series
of experiments with tho object of proving or
| dlsproving tho alleged virtue of P,steu,'s
incubation against hyarophobia. During
this period DR.. Hamill has had the feeding
aud handling of over twenty sick CANNES.
and has been bitten only once Hc cauterized
the wound on his thuu1b, CAV it no further
attention, and has never experienced ony I'll
effects from it,
\ few days ngo, accompanied by n 70.
porter, DIR. liamill entered stall and called
a detected looking dog to him. Catching it
by the back OF the neck he said: "Tll show
You what so called hydrophobia is,
AS the doctor put the dog down tho animal
snapped at him. and then in fear he ran into
a corner Dr. Hamill again seized the dog
somewhat roughly this time-tlragged him to
inc door anu Immersed his nose in q pau of
mix, holding it thero for several seconds.
')n helng released the dog Immediately went
ih'o violent CONFUSION, frothing freely ut
the mouth. Tho reporter stcppcd out into
the stable yard, and Dr. Hamill laughed,
Talk ahont llerrmann's tricks said he.
rolling up his sleeves: ''sce here
\ Dogs GRATITUDE
STOPPING over the wlithing animal he be-
gan gently rubbing with both hands its back
ana sides, much as one would caress a favoritc
dog VIII" was above suspicion. At the same
tmo lie kept repeating i'll low, musical
Fo'ne the ordinary pet names which ':poor
doeglc il supposed to understand and be
longing 4" hear. In little more than minute
the dog lay perfectly still If ever a helpless
pup looked gratitude that ono certainly did
as Or. Hanill gently carried him back and
laid him down on Il bed Of straw in a corner
Of the stall
Now, that WAS u case OF what il ordinar-
liy called hNdrophobiu," said Dr. HamiIl, as
he locked the invalid in. SIT really is n case
oi something like tctan'is, or lockja While
was holding his nosn in tho milk could
irrl the muscles of his throat undergoing
spaSms. He simply couldn't swallow. SUP
pose that dog had got thirsty in tho street
and had attempted to Glrink9 Hc would hayo
exhibited similar symptoms If, then. a
crowd had raised the cry Of Mad dorr and
began I" pursue and frightcn the animal,
could anything else have occurred than that
Ii" should have manifested all the symptoms
popularity asrribcd to hydrophobia, such as
Swapping at everything within reach, froth-
i!i5 ut the mouth, and turning and doubling
on his course! Then, if IL person had been
bitten before II policeman could kill the dog,
would we not have had all tho essentials of q
genuine hydlophobia case: Exaggerated de-
acr'l'l"is OF the dog appearance and actions
would have reached the person bitten, and, il
us bpod was out of order, u soreness would
have cllaIici, aggravated by the mind dwell
ing on tho case Within u few ours tho
victim would have been yelpin;s and barking
asid lrothlnS III tho orthodox manner, and
might possibly have died before morning,
Yet the dog might have been only suffering
from this disease like lockjaw. while the nan
actually died from lyssophobia, which is tho
big word for fear of r,,bics, or dog madness
Aine-tcnthS of all tho 50 called cases Of hy-
d!ophoba in man result from excessive
fright and the intense dweIli"- of the mind
on tli. dreadful results which are possible"
REPRODUCTIONS OF SYMPTOMS
In further conversation DR.. I[umill said
that the first illoculations were made from
the spinal column Of a healthy, freshly killed
calf, nlld thereafter mainly from the success
slNrdcad dogs Every symptom described by
i'aai"ur had been thus reproduced but not
all IN the same dog Tho nociations were
made i'll TIN. brain, and common soap seemed
t" produce tho most violent symptoms. He
Thought tilat most OF tho so called mad dogs
wore either sulPeriu. from arrangement of
the stomach Or from lockja He considered
the bite of u human being in IL frenzy almost
rs dangerous To life When dogs are sick
they eat things that u Harlem goat wouldn't
touch. One killed recently had over a pound
of rag carpet in his stomach The expcri-
mentors in this city, DR.. Hamill said, would
GIven good deal of money fora dog sulTc ing
from indislIutable Iiyirophobiu.
'ln Belgium, concluded Dr. Hamill, ssthcy
regulate these things better than We do
There all unlicensed dogs arc shot, no matter.
what the season OF tho year. Each dog must
ID" taken t" the examining doctors onco Il
month. Ii lie passes all right the color and
form Of his new collar Indicate that fact until
the next examination day. Ii h" is i'll in any
say he is placed in solitary confinement in tho
dog hospital, and treated until his recovery
i'eDmpcto pr pronounced hopeless Under
this system there have been but six cases of
50 called hydrophoha in Belgium in seven
years New York Evening Sun