Omaha daily bee., 1889-05-11
Died of HydrophObja,

Some physicians say there Is no such thing
as rabies. Standard and generally accepted
medical authorities, however, hold differ-
emily. The formers theory is that persons
supposed 10 be afflicted with madness caused
from dog bites, become 80 through fear, and
simulate an attack. DR.. Blodgett describes
hydrophoba as a pronounced neurosis, in
flicted by specific poison from rabid ami
mails. 1t manifests itself chiefly on the ner-
vous ceEters. Later there is an increased
irritability in general, and finally physical
oxaltation. This is all fully shown in the
case of John Shubert, who died late last
night, at the house of William Petty, on
Ohio near Twenty.sxth street.
Sixty days ago he was bitten in the left
hand by pup which, within two hours,
gave symptoms of having rabies His sister
in-law noticed the dog lying on the carpet,
performing all the jerky twitching move
ments peculiar to a mad dogs action. She
said to him:
John, that pup is no good; he is sick,
You had better throw him out"
Shortly afterwards the animal was killed.
AS u refutation of the views OF those who
deny the existence of rabies, and attribute the
chief cause to fear, Shubcrts family declare
tnat he entirely forgot the incident until
taken sick about last Wednesday, when DR..
Lord was called in, and after observing the
patients condition and investigating the
possible cause, pronounced the disease an
unmstakeable and well marked case of hy-
drophobia.
When first taken sick Shubert could not
eat his dinner. On attempting to swallow
he felt such great distress that the utmost
terror seized him. He went home, went to
bed aud steadily grew worse.
IRB visited Pettys house, and
was permitted to look at the unfortunate suf-
ferer He was then under the influence of
morphine, and was consequently resting
comparatively easy, lying on his side, with
his face towards the wall, legs drawn up,
and barking and splitting very much us dog
does. When spoken to by the reporter, he
turned over on his back, growled a few words
GROSSLY in Bohemian, resumed his former
position, and continued to bark. Now and
then he held short conversations with him
self, but they were perfectly unintelligble.
Dr. Lord tried to induce the patient
TO take n 1rlnk of water, but at
ssii:3,no OF the fluid he would almost go into
spasms, strike out with his hands, look wild,
and refuse 10 touch it. He had not eater u
mouthful or drank drop since first affected.
The fact that attempts at swallowing caused
oil his distress is an exciting factor in the
case, as, after much persuasion, the phys-
clan was unable to get a dose of medicine
down his throat.
When not kept under the influence of
opiates, the poor fellow would become
raviEg maniac, and had special desire to
assault and kill anybody he knew, but
towards strangers.
He had constant and raging fever,
seemed to be consuming with thirst, asked
for something to drink, though it was i'm
possible for him to swallow anything. He
was able to take the glass In his hands and
look at the water, but on bringing it to his
liDs, his head at once turned away. An eff
fort to force him to drink would throw him
into violent spasm.
Shubert came to this country from Bohe-
mia four years ago. He was thirty years old,
had wife and one child, had been ar indus
trious man at his trade, that of wood cary
ing. He worked in Gray's planning mill.
Since Shubert's sickness began, the dis
covery has been made that his brother-in-
law, Mike Parkene who died at ST. Joseph's
hospital, from n supposed attack of pleurisy,
was bitten by the same uog few days pre-
vious. While the physicians who attended
Parkene appear to have made diagnosis of
his case, it IS learned now that the symptoms
manifested by him were the same, in many
respects, as those of Shubert, only in less
violent form. He was taken i'll on Monday,
removed from his home 1T09 South Four
tecnth street to the hospital. on Tuesday,
and that night died.
1t is also learned that child of Shubert's
sister was bitten by the pup, in the foot and
now the mother is in state of mental
agony, lest her little one goes the same way