Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-24

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planned of intense headache causing insom-
MIA. At the laboratory we all thought that
his was desperate case. To-day Chamber
lain's health is excellent.
A few DAYS ago Nine. Luisa Carrera
came all the way from Spain to our anti
rabic institute, and has been undergoing
the preventive treatment. She had been
bitten nearly one year ago, on September 10,
1888, by dog. That animal had also bit
ten, on the same day, young man, who
died of rabies at the end of July, 1889, after
10< months had elapsed from the time OF
the bite. Nine. Oarrera became frightened,
and hurried to the Pasteur Institute. A few
weeks have passed since the last inocula-
tions have been made on her. The latter
will, no doubt, prove just as eficac1ous as
if she had undergone the process immedl-
ately after being bitten in 1888.
1t would be rash to conclude from these
or other facts which mention, that the
| treatment may be put off ad infinitum. 1t
is better to make haste.
THE PERCENTAGEsoF CURES.
If we reckon up, without making q
choice, 100 cases of persons bitten by dogs
proved to be rabid, the mortality in these
persons after they have been subjected to
preventive inoculations does not amount to
per cent. The mortality does not exceed
to per cent if people bitten on the head
and race are alone taken into account. Now,
all the competent men who have written on
rabies allow that the mortality before the
preventive system was discovered amounted,
in the case of face bites, to no less than 65 to
80 per cent, whereas if all bites, whatever
their seat may have been, be counted, the
mortality amounted to 15 or 16 per cent 1
believe this number to be far too low, but
nevertheless gladly accepted it, in order
to fix peoples ideas, and also because, by
allowing that it was correct, I could not be
suspected of overrating the value of my
mode of treatment.
When the prophylactic method for rabies
was first applied to patients who had been
bitten, it was easy to contradict, and criti-
cism was often specious. We, at that time,
applied the method to a certain number OF
patients, and rabies did not break out in
any of them. Men who, whatever happened,
were determined to contradict, simply ar
gued that rabies, even if no treatment had
been applied, would perhaps never have
broken out in such patients; while, if the
treatment proved unsuccessful, they argued
that rabies was bound to break out, and
even went so far as to say that the deaths of
these patients were due to my treatment.
Things are much changed to-day. The
change is due to the fact that truth, in order
to be recognized, need only stand the test of
time. In various parts of the globe anti
rabic Laboratories have been built in imita-
tion of the Paris institute. The results OBJ
tanned in these places are as good as ours.
better even; and. as an instance, 1 may men
tion that DR.. Bujurid has lately published
the history of $40 patients vaccinated by
him without one death. Italy has now six
anti-rabic laboratories-Turin, Milan, Bo-
logna, Rome, Naples and Palermo. Russia
has seven institutes-St. Petersburg, Mos
COW, Warsaw, Odessa, Kharkoff, Samraa
and Tiflis. There is also one at CONSTANT
nople, at Havana, at Mexico at Rio de
Janeiro, at Barcelona, at Bucharest, at
Vienna, at Buenos Ayres, and c-e is now
being started in Bolivia.
CASES THAT WERE CURED.
Did wish to recall cases likely to strike
the minds of the most prejudiced people-of
those who, for instance, systematically de-.
cline to believe in any vaccinations what
sOever-I might quote any number of re-
markable proofs of the efficacy of this
method. 1t would be easy to pick out q Few
demonstrative cases among the Z, 900 or 5000
people who have already been inoculated at
the Pasteur Institute. During the last four
years the average number of people who
come to the Pasteur Institute in order to un-
dergo the preventive treatment (after hav-
ing been bitten bv rabid dogs) amounts to
150 per month. will give here but a few
instances which all resemble, more or less,
the case of Chamberlain, which has Just
been quoted.
Cabout, Henry, a butchers boy, was bitten
on April q, 1888, but did not undergo the anti
rabic treatment and died in September. iSSS.
The same dog bit another person, Louis Pavie
by name. He was inoculated from April "a to
May IL and is now in perfect health.
MT q IN HnrQ oHnk
by profession, whose chapped hands were
simply licked by his rabid dog % the same
day young man, Leon Schan of Paris Belle
vile, was bitten rather badly by the same dog.
Schan underwent the preventive treatment
from Marcn % to April z, 1889 and is still in
good health. Delaunay died of furious rabies
in the month of May last The same dog bit
other dogs, and it is fact that one of the lat
ter became rabid on April IL and bit two per-
sons, Mrs. Lacasse and Mr.. Fanconnier. They
were inoculated from April II to May and are
now quite well.
Eight persons belonging to the France fam
lily, the father mother and six children. were
bitten at St Martin des Dimes, in the Puys de
Dome One of the children died of rabies on
january. The seven Others at once left to be
inoculated, and are quite well now. Three
oxen, two dogs and one cat bitten by the same
dog died OF rabies In the second month after
On June i and 2 1889, eight persons hailing
from Vancluse were bitten by the same dog
Six of them submitted themselves to the anti
rabic treatment, and are now quite we'll Two
declined to be inoculated, and both died of ra-
bies, one July and the other JulY2
Pierre Butte and his wife were licked on open
wounds. The wife declined to be inoculated,
and died of rabies. Butte, on the other hand.
was inoculated, and is now quite well.
STRIKING FACTS.
All the anti-rabie institutes could show
a number of similar cases. all proving the
efficacy of the method, but there is fact
which is even more striking. DR.. Duiardin-
Beaumetz, at the request of the Project Of
Police, made careful inquiries as to the
number of persons bitten in the Depart
ment of the Seine in 1887. In his official
report, printed in 1888, he states that BOG OF
the people so bitten were vaccinated at the
Pasteur Institute, and that three of them
died of rabies, whereas of the A persons
who were not inoculated seven died of
rabies. The mortality in the first lot is O.57 |
per cent, and 1890 in the second.
In Short the method of prophylaxis
against rabies has been proved to be efica-
cious, and every day, as the number of per-
sons SO inoculated increases. brings further
proofs.
Rabies is far more common disease than
is generally supposed, and 1 may be al
lowed to give one demonstratiVe proof of |
this fact.
From January to July 1, 1889, during |
period of six months therefore. England I
sent to the institute 30 persons bitten by |
rabid dogs, that is, six or seven each month |
on an average. At that time Englishmen,
so bitten, paid their own travelling and hotel |
expenses in Paris. Since july 1. a fund |
having been started by the Lord Mayor, ac-
cording to the third resolution Just men
toned, all Englishmen, however poor, bitten |
by rabid dogs have been able to proceed to
Paris. Accordingly, during the months of
July and August, that is in the months dur