New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-17
THE PROGRESS or PASTEURISM
HEROIC TREATMENT ~ ITALY.

From The London Illustrated News.
What appears to me- 10 be a very noteworthy step
In connection with Pdsteurs treatment OF hydpphOba
has been lately uudcitahcn IN Italy Ny readers are
that Idateur by using hSpodclHhc lhJe'upha
Of the spinal marrOws OF rabbits, containing the virus
Of rabies In varying degrees OF strength, prevents te
development Of hydrJphoba 10 man. lie la, had bis
non sucCesscs-Cca dlre-bu only irrational op
ponents OF his system demand that every cas" vattd
should be q success. When We reflect on the dltr-
In the constitution Of PATIENTS IN me lapsc OF
time which may Intervene between The bite ana the
beginning Of the treatment and III the degree oi IN
jury they seveially sustain 10 begin "iu We clearly
see that Pisteurs list Oh successes must De- SuOJc't
TO conditions over which he has no control This. at
any rate Is true that the mortality from hydpploba
has been markedly reduced In those treated by Ia3eur
compared with the death rate In cases left t. ordinary
treatment. Little Joseph Mcstcr, torn and laceratcd
seven years ago by a rbld wolf remains TO day well and
happy. lie would be bold man, think, who
would venture to affirm that left to the chances Of
recovery under ordinary medication, this boy would
not have died the most painful o: deaths.
The treatment up t. now has been preventive.
Pasteur's arncaly cultivated germs may bee pre-
sumcd to get 10 the centres before the germs
inoculated by the bite gain to the centres,
and when the germs arrive on their mis- ion of death
they find themselves focsalled by the injected germs,
which last are increased In intensity and strength
the treatment progresses. Now, on March a young
Italian was bitten the calf OF the left leg by
rabld dog. lie was treated by Pasteur's method at
the institute OF that name at Bologna BY Professor
Murr. This treatment began March 7 but
March 26 or ~ alarming symptoms appeared and
from all the symptoms Of hydrOphobla. Then as
dcrnier resort, DR.. Murr injected the PastcuT1an
mcnt was continued practically til April T. By
April 10 the patient, previously at deaths door could
get up, and from that date on to April II the last
date recorded his improvement most satisfactory
his symptoms having disappeared and his nervous
system having almost recovered it, normal functions
Now, II may be too carly II Is true, to hr jubant
the success Of science In saving human being
from OF the most terrible Of Impending deaths.
but think are Iutihed, at least In prcsumng that
the bold treatment Of Professor Murr must have OPP
Grated in fashion appreciate enough to those Who
have studied the Pastcur method germ science AT
large. The opponents Of Pasteurlsm, who
numerOus-amOng scientific people | mean-but whose
opposition finds In repetition Of already exploded ideas
what II lacks In force WILL OF couIs b.. ready 10 as
sert that the patient here made III bv the
treatment lie received AT DR.. Murris hands This
view Is which discounts and OveroOks completely
the fact Of the patients actual injury by dog proved
TO have been rabid | have read with great care the
paper written by DR.. IIme this case and | think
he establishes his conclusions that only was this
OF actual cure OF hydrOph0ba by the employment OF
PaStcurs method In new fashion. but also that n *
both certain the patient had developed the disease
and that the disease was due. not b the original
treatment first pursued, but to the bite of the dog