The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-08-23
ISHYDROPH0BIA AFAKE?
50 SAYS SUPERINTENDENT HANK
INSON OF TEE A. IS. P. C. a.

Copyright. 1915
NEW YORK, Aug 22.-"Can man scare
himself to death after having been bitten
bv dog which isn't madF' 1 asked Supt.
Esnkinson Of tSe American Society for the
prevention Of Cruelty to Animals one day
as be sat in his little Office on Twenty second
street..
Mr.. Hankinson is a good-natured looking
man with reddish hair. who is afraid of
nothing and nobody; certainly not of
h7drophobia quacks.
why, certainly" he said, with decision,
"that man down in Ashury Park who was
btten by q cat was scared to death. He
never had hydrophobia. He died of ner-
yous prostratlon brought on by worry over
4 an imaginary danger. His friends were ali
4 pitying him and hoping he wouldn't die,
/ and prophesying that he would, and he was
4 aluan of nervous temperament, as educated
4 people sometimes are, and it simply killed
/ lin. / suppose he read up in the books
about hydrophobia and it turned his head.
That's all there was about it. Do you re-
member what great howl there was about
those Newark boys who we're bitten by a
mad dog aud were sent over to Pasteur to
be curedP"
"W ny OF course; who doesn't!n
"Well, it's quite easy to cure disease
that never existed. Those boys never Rad
hydrophoba and never would have had it.
The dogs didn't have it. During that ex-
element we went TO Newark and found a
LOT Of dogs shut up. We asked to be al
lowed to take them away to our stables, but
the people wouldn't have it. by you know
what was done with those dogss After the
excitement was all over they were given
back to their owners. every one of them.
Not one was killed. Not one Of them had
had anything worse than a fit. Why, our
men, who are constantly handling dogs, get
bitten again and again, but they never
dream of having hydrophobia. lisa myth.
There isn't any such thirg.n
Then you don't believe in the existence
of such a diseaseN l asked, thinking that
as Mr.. Hankinson probably knows more
about animals than any other man in
America be must be good authority.
mo, don't. There may be such dis
ease, but don't believe it. never saw a
case or knew of one positively"
How about these doctors who cure it," /
asked
They don't cure anything. / asked O
man who makes q speciality of treating by
drophobia, as he calls it"
"Do you mean DR.. Gibier, Pasteur's
pupil, and the head Of the hydrouhobia hos
pital here" asked.
Il won't say who l mean or don't
meen," said Mr.. Hankinson, warming up to
his story; but he treats hydrophoDia pa
TENTS. / asked him once if be ever saw one
single case of hydrophobia to which he
could swear. He refused to answer, but he
told me this story: A man came to him
one day in terrible distress. He had been
bitten by dog, ne feared madness, he
could not sleep of nights, and was afraid
he was going to die. He begged the
doctor to treat him. The doctor said
it was too late; the period Of incubation
had passed, aud it would do no good now.
II he had hYdrophobia there was no way to
stop it. The man went away, but came
back again the next day nearly frantic
He hadn't slept wink and begged the doc
tor to do something for him. So the doctor
took the man into his operating room and
gave him hypodermic injection Of water
just pure Croton water. He went away,
slept for the first time In two weeks, and
came back the next day for more water,
and again the next, aud was soon perfectly
cured The doctor told me that himself:
and he processes to cure hYdrophobia
why" continued Mr.. Hankinson," "rve
had woman in Mysteries right in that
chair you are sitting in because a 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 a within.
Somebody's told you you were going to go
mad, and now you think you ought to go
mad and you'll be mad If You don't go mad.
You just go home and say nothing about it
and you'll be all right Add she did it.
Another woman brought her boy in.
He had been bitten by a mad dog, and she
wanted it shot, she said. The boy looked
perfectly well.
Now. look here said l; you've been
talking good deal to the boy about this,
haven't you9 And the neighbors have,
tool And you've been telling him that he's
likely to have hydrophobia. haven't youp
Yes, of course, we've talked about it,
said she.
Exactly said /. You've been taking
the precise course likely to drive him mad
or mako him think himself so. You have
been trying to scare him to death. If he
were TO 60 crazy it would be your own
fault. How is it, bub, said l, turning to
the little fellow. You don't expect to go
mad, do you9'
mo. he didn't think he should, he said.
He didn't feel any different. He was
brave little fellow. So sent them home
too, and that was the last Iheard of it. The
dog had had a fit that was all. It's a shame
the way people will shoot valuable dogs just
for fit that might easily be cured or
avoided"
How would you treat a dog to prevent
TITS: How would you take care of him in
summers" asked.
Il would have dish of water set where
ne could always get at it and I wouldn't
feed him too much. A dog ought to be fed
very little meat, especially one that is kept
and lazy and overfed they are likely to have
hts. Fits are the result of these causes par
tcularly, and Of heat You never see lean,
homeless cur in a fit They have to fight
Tor what they get and don't get more than
Is good for them. Petted dogs are the most
liable TO sickness. Why, one time young
chap came here and said no wanted his dog
splendid great big fellow-shot for hydro.
pnobia. We won't shoot him. said 1, but
Well out him over in the stable So we
did; tied him up and left him there in a fit
sure enough. But we gave him nothing to
eat. Next morning he was all right as
Gould be and with wonderfully fine appe-
Ute. When the owner came ia be was de-
lighted.
hat did you give himr he said
~, W gave him nothing at oil, 1 replied.
You feed him too much, that is ALL Mis-
taken Kindness is the cause of all the trouble.
Dogs should get plenty of exercise and
water, but not too much FOOD
shortly afterwari [ was repeating some
or Supt. Hankinson's remarks to a man
pretty we'll known in New York when he
SAD; Did ever tell you about my hydro
phobia scareT
mo-