The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-09-23
'HYDROPHOBIA A FAKE
so SAYS SUPERINTENDENT HAN
NNsoN, or THE A S. P. c. 7. A.

NNsON, or THE A. S. p. c. 7. A.
He Knows Good Deal About Dogs and
Doesn,t Believe That Many OF Them
Go neutrality-suspicious. Is Imagination
some Of His Experiences with Cases
Gan a man scare himself TO death
after having been bitten by dog which
isn't mads" / asked Superintendent Han
Hnson. of the American Society for the
Prevention Of Cruelty 70 Animals, one
dav. as he sat in his little Office on Twen-
ty-second street.
Mr.. Ranknson is good natured
looking man with reddish hair, who Is
afraid Of nothing and nobody certainly
not of hydrophobia quacks-
why, certainly" he said. with de-
cision. That man down IN Asbury
Park who was bitten by a cat was
scared 70 death He never had hydro
phobia. He died Of nervous prostration
brought on by worry over an imaginary
danger. His friends were all pitying
him and hoping he wouldn't die, and
phrophesying that be would, and be was
q man OF nervous temperament as edu-
Gated people sometimes are, and II sim
ply killed him suppose he read up IN
the books about hydrophobia and 1t
turned his head. That's all there was
about it. Do you remember wnat
great howl there was about those New
ark bows who were bitten by mad
dog. and who were sent over TO Pasteur
70 be 'curedy
why. of course; who doesn't
We'll. its quite easy 70 cure a disease
that never existed Those boys never
had hydrophobia and never would have
had It. The dogs didn't have it. Dur
ing that excitement we went to Newark
and found lot Of dogs shut up. We
asked 10 be allowed TO take them away
to our stables. but the people wouldn't
have it. Do You know what was done
with those dogs. After the excitement
was all over they were given back TO
their owners, every one o. them. Not
one was killed. Not one Of them had
ANYTHING worse than a ft. Why, our
men are constantly handling dogs, get
bitten again and again. but they never
dream OF having hydrophobia- It's
myth. There isn't any such thing.
A CAsR OF IMAGINATION.
Then YOU don't believe in the exist
ence Of such diseases? | asked, think
ing that. as Mr.. Hanlinson probably
knows more about animals than any
other man in America, be must be good
authority.
No, ] don't. There may be such
disease. but don't believe II. l never
saw a case or knew Of one positively"
- How about these doctors who cure
itg" / asked
They don't cure anything. / asked
man who makes a specially Of treating
hvdrophobia. as he calls it, if be ever saw
one single case Of hydrophobia 10 which
he could swear. Herefused TO answer, but
he told Inc this story: a man came 70
him one day in terrible distress He had
been bitten by dog; he feared madness;
he could not sleep at night and was
afraid he was going to die. He begged
the doctor to treat him The doctor said
it was too la.e: the period Of inocula-
ton had passed, and it would be no good
now. If he had hydrophobia there was
no way to stop it
ssThe man went away, but came back
the next day nearly frantic. He hadn't
slept wink and begged the doctor TO DO
something for him. SO the doctor took
the man into his operating room and
gave him a hypodermic injection OF
water-just pure Croton water. de
went away, slept for the first time IN
two weeks and came back the next day
for more water, and again the next, and
was soon perfectly cured The doctor
told me that himself, and he processes TO
cure hydrophobia-
SHE WAS MAD.
Why continued Mr.. Hankinson,
'Q've had woman in mysteries right in
that chair you're sitting in because dog
had bitten her. She wanted me TO kill
the dog. ! wouldn't do it Then she
screamed in a terrible way When she
stopped said TO her: Madam, you ought
TO be ashamed of yourself. A woman Of
your intelligence You've interrupted
the business of the Office and drawn a
big crowd under the window to listen to
your yelling, and all for whim. Some
body told you you were going togo mad,
and now you think you ought to go mad
and you'll be mad if you don't go mad.
You Just 20 home and say nothing about
1t and you'll be all right And she did it.
Another woma brought her boy in.
BE had been bitten by mad dog, and
she wanted it shot, she said. The boy
looked perfectly well.
Now. look here, said /, you've been
talking a good deal to the boy about
this. haven't you? And the neighbors
have too: And you've been telling him
that he's likely to have hydrophobia,
haven't your
Yes, of course, we've talked about
it. said she.
" Exactly said l. You've been tax
ing the precise course likely to drive
him mad or make him think himself so.
YOu have been trying to scare him 10
death. If he were TO go crazy it would
be your fault How is it, bub,' said l,
turning to the little fellow. You don't
expect 10 go mad, do your
No, he didn't think he should, he
said. He didn't feel any different He
was brave little fellow. So l sent
them home, too. and that was the last
heard Of 1t. The dog had had a fit, that
was all. It's shame the way people will
shoot valuable dogs just for a fit that
might easily be cured or avoided."-
New York World.