Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1891-10-31
fE0F. SPlTZKA on RABIES.
FEAR or HyoRoPHosIA KILLS MORE
PERSONS THAN THE DISEASE,
A Question Over which Doctors Have
Long Disagreed--A Failacioas Method
OF Demonstrating Rabies-Ipetails of an
ExperiInent-The Results.

Long Disagreed--A Faiiacians Method
OF Demonstrating Rabies-Detaiis of an
Experiment-rhe Results.
In the spring OF 1856 Miss Morosini, q
daughter of JAY Gould's associate, was bitten
by pet dog which was promptly killed. An
autopsy was made by DIR. A. r. Liautard,
veterinary surgeon Of this city, who found
zone large bird feather" ia the stomach. The
presence of inedible substances in the dogs
stomach was formally accepted as almost
indisputable proof that the animal was mad,
but Professor Spitzka says he has examined
scores OF dogs, AMI he gives the following Us
the result Of such examinations;
mot one of the animals showed any slgns
OF rabies There was scarcely one, and GER
tainly not one younS dog, in whose stomach
did not lind more or less foreign material
rememhcr that kite strings and top pegs
were frequent; that coal, ashes, straw, feath-
ers and cotton sPools were occasional find
ings. Shoe leather, pieces OF cloth and, II
remember rightly, pocket knife, but GER
tainly some unusual article Of metal, In q
pet dog
Yet this dog was pronounced mad, and the
case was deemed by her family physician
sufficiently grave TO warrant the sending of
the young lady To Paris for treatment by
Pasteur. Meanwhile the brain of the butch
/ ered dog was pr served and a healthy dog
was inoculated on the brain with a particle
OF II. AT the end of sixteen days this dog
was pronounced mad, 1t having showed the
first symptoms OF dumb rahies-that is pa
ralysis of the lower jaw. The mouth was
was slightly open, the jaw hung down, and
. abundant saliva flowed from the mouth.
Still the dog was very affectionate. This is
not quotation from Professor Spitzka, but
from the chronicler of the case This was.
OF course, aooested as confirmatory evidence
that the dog which bit Miss Morosini was
mad Fortunately, however, for that young
lady, she had sufficient strength of mind, or
enough confidence in FasteurAs treatment, TO
render her proof against an attack OF n.y.
drophobia. Concerning this case Professor
Spitzka SAYS:
4 ''The method of demonstrating rabies by
direct incubation OF the brain Is fallacious.
The conclusion drawn by Liautard, from an
experiment thus performed, that the River
dale dog was mad was obtained by mislead-
ing methods With regard TO the dumb
rabies which DR.. Liautard thought he had
Z produced in the second dog, every physician
\ familiar with the researches of Schiff.
! tlourens, Hitzig, Fritsch and Goltz will REQ
ognize IN IL the ordinary results Of expert
mental and intiammatory disturbance Of the
brain functions in the dog. According as
the irritating injection affects one certical
field or the other the paralysis will vary, but
/ paraplegia is quite characteristic OF menin-
4 gifts and encephalits in the dog"
In plain language, the inflammation of the
brain set up by the placing Of a foreign sub
stance under the skull and in contact with
+ the brain matter Is sufficient TO account for
all the symptoms displayed by dogs expert
mented on and commonly pronounced those
OF genuine rabies. This was eventually
proved quite satisfactorily by Professor
Spitzka and his associates. They obtained a
number Of healthy dogs aud inoculated their
brains with various substances, such a. q
particle OF the spinal cord of a healthy calf.
an emulsion OF calls cord, an emulsion from
the brain of man who was supposed to
have died Of hydrophobia, a piece of common
yellow soap and stale uremic liquid The
effects of the NEGOTIATIONS with these various
substances we're substantially the same a
that OF the virus from the supposed mad dog
which bit Miss Morosni. In fact Professor
spitzka says there were no symptoms OF
hydropaobia related of DR. Liautards ami.
mai which were not present in these dogs
He was inclined to pronounce the mental dis
turbances resembling dumb rabies, SO called.
much greater than the animals he expert.
mented on.
These dogs were confined in the yeterinarx
infirmary of Atcheson & Hamill, ON Four
teenth street, near Avenue A. and some Of
them may still be seen there A monerel
bulldog, inoculated with healthy calls cord,
1 manifested on the third day a slight droon Of
the left upper eye lid, the eyes appeared duh.
there was manifest paralysis OF the hind legs
the tail sometimes fell between them, the dis.
position was exceedingly friendly. he wapesd
his tail feebly, crawled forward and fawned
rs soon us the door was opened. On the
seventh day he manifested a desire 20 tleyour
foreign substances. On the eighth day. nj.
though his disposition toward the axpsri-
mentalists was unchanged. he uuarreled with
another dog over food On the eleventh day
the paraplegic gait was very marked. The
dog seemed to be acting impulsiyeIy al
times; attempted TO swallow dry drum
stick Of fowl. and would have eaten Other
foreign substances il not prevented. A mon
| grel Spitz, which had been noted as rather
an aggressive animal before the operation.
became, In three DAYS, entirely Changed
fawned, wagged its tail, and ching 10 any
one who would give it a friendly word. on
the eleventh day tho paraplegia was more
marked. the animal was nnabia 10 i,,n,,,
down a distance OF two feat. but lek it..lf
down on its fore feet and then slid down tha
resf Of its body AT tine Same time n had ~
,,,,,. shx, avo.d.si x,,si..,,-. ,.........zs -.
concealed itself.
Here is the seventh days record of q large