The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-08-26
ANIMALS BREED DISEASE.
The Cat as Cause of Epidemics.

"There has been an unusual number of
deaths this summer from alleged hydro
phobia," said an insanity expert to; a
Star reporter yesterday. However, we
mad DOCTORS do not share the popular
belief respecting that complaint.
] was called in the other day to attend
the cause of 4 young woman who was
dying with all the symptoms OF so-called
hydrophobia. She was in commissions
When offered water in tin receptacle she
bit right through the sheet metal. She
barked now and then like dog and
frothed at the mouth.
@The average general practitioner would
have diagnosed the case as hydrophobia
off hand. But there was one objection
to that theory-the patient had never
been bitten by dog or by any other
animal, unless it were an insect. NOT
only was there no question of mad dog,
but there was no dog at all IN the his
tory of the disease. The latter was
nothing more nor less than what the IN
sanity specialist terms acute mania.
acute mania is a complaint which
manifests itself in all of the symptoms
which are commonly attributed to hy-
drophobia. The patient is thrown INTO
convulsIons at sight not only OF water,
but of food such manifestations vary
ing in different cases. Barking IKE a
dog. frothing at the mouth and biting
at whatever is within reach are. quite
usual. The unfortunate must pc served
= Tow. ir,f in ~
tacles, to avoid danger. In nine cases
out of ten death ensues.
as there no danger then in being bit
ten by a rabid dog? Certainly there is
very great danger. What is the matter
with such dog? He is attacked by a
disease-the familiar complaint called
.septicae1nia, or blood poisoning. HIS
bite is likely to communicate blood
poisoning to the person bitten. 1T Is "a
serious and often fatal complaint. Some
times it happens that the individual bit
ten receives SO severe a shock from the
fright that the nervous system is upset.
TN such case acute mania may set
in. To bring that about the dog need
not be rabid-to speak more accurately,
it need not be suffering from blood poison,
ing. 1t may be perfectly healthy, ana
vet the fright occasioned by its bite
may induce the dangerous nervous
trouble of which am speaking | think
that I have made myself clear. Take
particular notice of the fact that acute
malaria may be brought on by variety
of causes independent of the canine
species. But. if the patient mas nap
pened at any time previously to be bit
ten by a dog, the trouble is at once at
tributed to that, and the cry OF hydro
phobia is raised.
snow | will venture to say that one
person out of every three receives some
time in his or her life wound, sllght
or otherwise, from the teeth OF q dog,
Frequently such injuries are inflicted
by playful puppies OF otherwise ACCIDENT
alIy. When YOU consider that this ami
NAL is the intimate friend and constant
companion of man, it is hardly surprls-
ing that such should be the fact: You
saw that you youself have been slightly
bitten on two occasions. Suppose, as IS
quite possible, that you were taken with
acute mania, barking like dog, foam
ing at the mouth mad exhibiting dlspo-
sition to bite Would not your afflicted
relatives refer the symptoms to one OF
those dog bites? OF course they would
If you died you would be advertised
in the newspapers as a victim OF hydro
phobia.
9What tell you is not merely theory
of my own. 1t represents the belief OF
experts in nervous diseases generally.
However since Il have spoken in defence
of the dog, let me say something more
with relation to that other favorite house
hold companion of mantle cat. would
first call your attention to the fact that
the cat is beast far more useful to
mankind than the dog. Without the lat
ter we could get along, but II we had no
cats we should have d continual plague
of rats and MICE which would overrun
the cities and deyour the crops and small
live stock of the farmers
+" AT the same time you may set 1T down
an indisputable truth that the domestic
cat is prolific source OF great variety
of diseases breeds them and disseminaes
them, skin troubles particularly 1t
carries about with it the contaigon of
diphtheria, one of the most fatal of hui
man complaints, and it is seriously sus-
pected of helping to SOW the germs of
consumption. A trouble akin to ring
worm, which attacks the scalp and
causes the hair to fall out, is frequently
conveyed by cats. Likewise it is with
scarlet fever, which, when 1t Is n q
house, is always likely to be scattered
abroad by the pet pussies of the estab-
lishment.
@The way of it is this: When there is
sickness in house old clothes are apt to
be used for savarious purposes. These are
commonly thrown afterward into some
out of the way place, like the corner OF a
clOSet, suppose bQdU UutIOs 10 q u1OUy
about that IS on the point of bringing
into the world litter of kittens: Female
cats are constantly having kittens, as
you know, being among the most prolific
of animals. She searches for a seques-
tered nook for her accouchment, and it is
likely to make her bed of just such lot
of old rags as have described.
AS a natural consequence, not only is
the mother cat affected as to her fur with
+Lo cont dicaaSa Init all of her
kittens are likewise The latter are
fondled by the children. Pathogeniic
germs seem to find a most favorable
breeding ground in the hair of CATS. AS
result the complaint is spread: I'm
fortunately the infection is not limited 1T tb to
cats, which are notorious stragglers:
Thus before many days have passed
there is an epidemic Of scarlet fever or
what not in the neigh borhood. Nobody
can imagine how it got about. Little
| Johnnie dies Of diphtheria and nobody
dreams that he contracted it by picking
| up a strange cat.
| HChiIdren have away of picking up cats