The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1891-08-27


peculiar and once heard is never for
gotten. Owing to the alteration in
the larypx the voice becomes harsh,
cracked and siriduous like a child
with the Group. In dumb madness
the voice is lost, hence the name.
The mad dog seems to have lost the
power of expressing pain. Burning,
beating and wounding produce little
effect and the animal will even mutt
late itself with its teeth. Suspicion
therefore should attach to dog that
receives punishment without cry or
complaint.
The mad dog is constantly endeav-
oring to escape from home and when
it does escape it goes freely forward
as if driven by some invisible power
and travels considerable distances in a
short time, perhaps attacking every
creature it meets, preferripg dogs to
other animals, and these to man
Cats, sheep, cattle, horses, &c, par
ticularly liable to injury.
The rabid dog attacks in silence
and never utter a growl or cry ofanger,
and if hurt in return will produce no
cry of pain.
1t is interesting to know that Pasteur
not only processes to cure rabies, but
to inoculate dogs so that they will not
originate the disease or susceptible
thereto.
1t is astonishing beyond words tina,
in this era of intelligence and in the
light of medical history and scientific
research, Notwithstanding the discov-
cries Pasteur and the testimony and
authority of the three thousand physi-
clans, surgeons and scientists that sal
at his feet recently in the city of Paris
to learn how to cure and prevent n.y.
drophobia, Notwithstanding that chill
drcn and adults who had forgotten
that they had been bitten had died Of
this horrible disease, thus showing that
it is not the result of imagination, not.
withstanding that the world has stood
aghast and science and learning bowed
their heads in submission to its horrors
since the days of Plutarch and Virgil,
Horace and Xenophon, Galen and
CELSIUS and Hipocrares and Others, al
of whom mention it, there are men o.
prominence and even eminence who
declare that there is no such thing a:
hydrophobia. But they are crushed
by the weight of authority and history
and experience.
The term hydrophobia is unknown
except as applies to the disease in man
In the dog the disease is called rabies
Hydrophobia means "fear of water
Man is the only animal that fears water
and liquids when afflicted with rabies
And it must be observed, says the
highest authorities, that even Of those
who have been bitten by rabid animals
only proportion subsequently suffer
from hydrophobia. Where the bite ha:
been inflicted on part of the body
protected by the clothing, the viru,
may be wiped from the teeth Of the
animal before they penetrate the skin,
but in case Of such a bite the clothes
should be removed as soon as possible
John Hunter mentions in his work:
one case in witch FL persons were
bitten by a rabid dog and only one
died, and the proportion to die i:
about one half of those bitten. The
treatment recommended by the bes'
authorities was that which the person:
bitten in Henderson received at the
hands of those excellent physicians the
Drs. Cheatham.
FALSE HYDRoPHoBIA.
DR.. William A. Hammond, in re-
cent article in the Forum, entitled
''False Hydrophobia," says:
There are very few persons who are
not more or less under the influence
of "suggestion." Several years ago {
man confined in the .own prison il
the city Of New York killed himsel
by cutting the femoral artery, The
main artery of the thigh. There wa
no previous case on record of such :
mode of suicide and yet within a few
days several persons destroyed them
selves by cutting the femeral artery.
We have all heard af the man who
thinking he was being bled to dealt
while his eyes were bandaged and {
stream of warm water was allowed t
flow over his arm, actually died within
the proper time, with all the symptom:
that would have ensued had he reall,
died of hemorrhage.
That such disease as hydrophobis
should be simulated by nervous people
under the principle of suggestion is no
surprising. And every year as summer
approaches cases of this kind are fire.
quent.
The victim of false hydrophobis
can only have those symptoms will
which he is acquainted, but owing Il
the press, the laity understand mos
of the symptoms but not the refined
ones, which enable the physicians t.
distinguish the false from the real.
1t often happens that person
easily affected by suggestion has wha
he considers the symptoms of hydro
phobia develop very soon after having
been bitten, whereas, the real disease
rarely supervenes uutil after a month
has elapsed, from the time of incuba
ton. In my cases the time has varice
from twenty-five days to four months
the interval probably never exceed
two years or is less than ten days.
The subject of false hydrophobi;
knowing that fear of water is the prin