The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-07-06
TREATMENT OF RABIES.
Dr.. Gibier, Pupil Of Pasteur, Writes
Of His New York In
stitute.
He Also Tells What to Do When
Bitten by q Mad
Dog.
II IN = Blunder to Immediately KIN the
Dog-Comparative Strength Of
the Virus.
Especial Correspondence of The INDEPENDENTLY

newspapers stating that hydrophobla nao
occurred at certain places. and that the
persons who were the victims had been BIT
ten weeks before by animals not then known
to be rabid. The story was invariably the
same: The dog summarily killed, the
wound either roughly cauterized or neg
elected, and the fatal sequel. 1t was the
frequency of these cases that first suggested
to my mind the idea of establishing IN TINS
country an institute modelled after that OF
my old teacher, the distinguished Pasteur,
of Paris. :,
Returning to France I passed several
months there, where studied with n. Fas-
teur the question Of establishing an 1nstl-
tute in America. On December !, 1889,
again came to America, the institute prof
ect now fully matursd in my mind. MY
first care was to take this house, and
strangely enough on the very day was in,
stalled was Frustrated by Ia grippe, ana
was for fifteen days my own patient. Inc
: laboratory, a task that occupied much time.
My instruments had long ago, They are
of Pasteur's own invention, and nave been
used in the work long time. The chief
delay was in the time consumed IN making
the preparations for incubation; found
it necessary to spend two months IN Ine
preparation of the virus, in It's various
cultures and different degrees OF strength.
In February the institute was formally
Soon patients began to come in from New
York City and Long Island. Al the pegln
ming of March one from Maryl a t.e ca1as
at this institute fifty-one patients
since it's opening. In addition to
these have inoculated five others, none o.
whom have been bitten-my two assistants.
my servants and myself. This was purely
measure Of precaution; for there Is serious
danger of accidental incubation during
the manipulation of the virus, and it would
be very easy matter to contract hyaro-
nhohia while treating others. little
scratch. touched accidentally by the virus,
would be sufficient. The disciples OF fas-
teur should show their confidence IN the
principles of the master by applying them
to themselves. :.
The la, pest number of patients in the IN
stitute at one time was twenty four. There
are now twenty-five under treatment. mus
far there have been no failures and no
deaths have occurred amoug those VINO nave
been treated. But am very differently
situated from Pasteur in one respect. The
patients come here much later than those
who 90 to the Pasteur institute in Paris;
many of them arrive fifteen or twenty days
after having been bitten, and have one
elapsed. Such cases treat by. special
method-a very strong one--which ] have
inaupurated according to the personal ad-
vice Of NJ, Pasteur, with whom consulted
on the subject. These late cases were a
matter of serious consideration, and for
such he was at the trouble to- give me spe-
cial instructions.
In the beginning of the treatment for or
binary cases, the virus is very weak: having
been made so by method which it would
be tedious to explain. The first lnocula-
ton could not give rabies even to a
three days, the virus used increases
in strength, and it could then perhaps give
hydrophobia to a young mouse. After 1--WE
days it could give rabies to small rat, but
not to a big one. A fortiori. it would be
impossible to give it to a man. Gradually
as the strength increases, and when the last
injection is given the virus isquite virulent.
Being injected in large quantity when
weak, it gradually reaches the
nervous system, the brain, the
medulla, which are affected specially by
come accustomed to the weak virus, the lat
ter is abandoned and the stronger quality
used. When this point has been reached,
the virus of rabid dog is weaker than the
. dog, I can kin in twenty or
at the last stages of the treatment
would kill, with all the true symptoms of
hydrophobia, in ten or twelve days. But
the nervous system, having already become
accustomed to the virus in its various de
grees of strength receives it harmlessly and
those who have been inoculated with cow
pox-which some scientists hold to be an
other form of smallpox-are enabled to re-
sist the attacks of smallpox itself.
Age makes no material difference in the
treatment of patients. Possibly the young
Ac1-z la rfS l4A4 A1n.,
adults do. All the patients take the treat
ment we'll. This is especially true Of the
small children. They cry little at first.
rs almost any child would do when probe
is inserted into its body. Then, after a
few experiences, they seem to think IT
always inoculate on the sides of the body.
The process is exactly the same as inject
ing morphine, and it gives the same SEN
sation, except that it does not put the pa
tient to sleep.
/ have had patients from many states
from Texas, Missouri, Maryland, New
Hampshire, New York and even from Can
For such cases, when they come from dis
tant points. the cities usually pay; but here
IN New York the treatment is gratuitous.
No rule can be laid down for telling
whether dog has true hydrophobia or
not in the the early stages 4 dog is dan
k01Ouo AsV1 pa "a OAkaAo unJo OCioAo Ae
begins to show the symptoms of rabies. and
even at that stage he can communicate by
drophodia. Cases have been known where
experimentalists have inoculated some dogs
with hydrophobia with the syringe or Ian
Get, and after two or three days their saliva
has been tried with a view to determining
its virulence. Sometimes it WAS demon-
strated that even before they began to show
any evidences of hydrophobia the saliva
contained the deadly germs of rabies.
When person has been bitten by dog,
the sore should not be cauterized. The
cautery sometimes makes bad wounds,
which are difficult to heal, and it produces
inhammations. The wound should be
washed out freely with plenty of water and
treated with antiseptic dressing. 1t is q
blunder to kill the dog; such q
course is revengeful and brutal.
Some people I have treated only be-
cause they have killed the dog. when per-
haps it was not really mad. The doubt,
however, remains and in such cases makes
treatment imperative. The popular fallacy
which leads TO the slaughter Of the dog is due
TO superstition and most people still believe
that with the death of the animal the venom
dies also. / can not qualify such fool
ishness. A few days of waiting would have
shown whether or not the dog was really
mad-the wound meanwhile being dressed
as have suggested-and if, after being
watched, the dog showed signs of hydro
phobia, then the treatment could be had
without further delay. 1t is only trifling
burden TOR fifteen days, when it il all over.
Az an illustration of the scepticism this
institute has had to encounter. / might