The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-06-09
a WICEITAN IN PARIS,
About a Visit to the Pasteur Institut'


perchance the day is hot and the dog
pants. froths at the mouth and rolls its
eyes about, how unconsciously one edges
toward the street and gives the animal
the right of way. And what kindly
feeling we have for the dog who cocks
his eye up at US from behind stout
muzzle: For a dog with jaws properly
battened down never gees mad; it is the
dog with jaws free to come and go at
will, that shows signs of madness and
causes all the trouble.
remember once being consulted by a
lady, whose son lad been bitten by a
dog supposed to be mad. She was III a
great state of excitement and contem-
plated taking the boy to neighboring
city where she had heard there was g
mad stone. Now, according to a popu-
lar belief, if mad stone is applied TO the
wound it absorbs the poison and turns
of green color. But pointed out the
fact that if the dog was mad, the .ison
was already in the boys system and
such treatment utterly worthless. |
tried to calm her by saying that there
was no evidence to prove that the dog
was mad and that half the so-calied mad
dogs We're only badly frightened, or that
there was method in their madness.
When was small boy, was bitten by
what | considered to be mad dog, but
which, upon more mature deliberatiOn, L
N,,t to ha faithf,1Inocc of tho nj
NAL in trying to protect its masters fruit
trees.
OF all persons bitten by rabid animals
about Is per cent only suffer from dis
ease, which is probably due to the fact
that the saliva is wiped off the teeth as
they pass through the clothing. The
most dangerous wounds are those in
flicted on the face, hands and bare legs
of children, and the mortality i'll these
cases is from 60 to so per cent. After
the bite Of a mad dog no symptoms OF
hydrophobia show themselves for
period of from two weeks to SIX months.
This is a time of great anxiety for the
patient, for there are fifteen chances
that he will get hydrophobia against
eighty-fve that he will not. The first
question to decide is whether the dog is
mad. In the vast majority of cases the
dog is killed. This is grave error. as
the only way of ascertaining if the bite
is that of mad dog is to watch the ami
NAL. IL mad he will show advancing
symptoms, ard die in three or four
days.
What are these symptoms? First,
there is dizziness, restlessness, and ten
dency to stink into dark corner: a NOR
bid appetite for bits of sticks and stones;
after few days comes period of ex-
element: he rushes wildly about, biting
animals and any one in his path. The
appetite is lost; there is a desire to drink,
but the animal cannot swallow. Soon
the bark changes to a hoarse howl; the
limbs become paralyzed, and the dog
dies.
Every suspected dog, therefore, should
be confined in strong cage, and if he
dies in few days, showing the above
syptoms, there can be no question as to
madness; and the unfortunate person
vino has been bitten should at once seek
treatment. With view of ascertain
ing what could be done for these people,
and the success of the treatment. call
ed on NJ. Pasteur at his institute IN Paris.
We first entered the large general wait
ing room, which was crowded with men,
women, boys and gnlS from the four
quarters of the globe. There was no
loud talking or gossiping, as is usual in
the waiting rooms Of most hospitals.
The patients stood face to face with
dread disease, and realized their danger.
Some were hopeful of a cure; others
had worried themselves into state of
melancholy.
An assistant stands by the door lead
ing into the operating room, with an
exact record of the name, date of arri-
val, number of injections given, etc.
and as each patients name is called he
or she enters the operating room and re-
ceives two sub-cutaneous injections of
the virus.
We next visited the laboratory which
is deliberately fitted with all modern APP
pliances for making virus and keeping
it free from micro-organisms. PaSteurs
treatment consists in obtaining a virus
of fixed strength and then alternating it
so that 1t can be safely inoculated. The
method employed is long and tedious
and would probably not interest the
reader. Suffice to say that the disease
is transmitted through upwards of eighty
rabbits TO get the virus of maximum
strength. To alternate the virus por-
ton of the spinal cord of rabbit inocu-
lated with the fixed virus Is dried. The
longer il dries the less virulent il be-
comes From cords treated in this man
ner the solutions are prepared and ~
Pasteur is ready for his patients.
Even after this elaborate treatment
which continues for sixteen days there
are certain proportion Of cases which
are not cured. | may mention the fact
that three Englishmen were bitten by a
mad fox terrier and were treated by n.
Pasteur. One died a month after re-
turning home, one after SIX months and
the last, after lapse of four wears.
From the laboratory we went to the
yard III which the animals are housed.
In ole small building Were innumerable
rabbits. gulnea-p!gs. mice and pigeons
used from time TO time to keep up the
stock of virus. Near by were strong
cages for the use Of dogs suspected Of
being mad. The poor brutes kept up
continual howl, for even a dog must
feel miserable IN such position.
AZ the time of my visit there were at
least dozen dogs under lock and kew.
Some OF them appeared TO be perfectly
healthy and evidently resented the
forced retirement from the outer world.
Others. slnuS away into the darkest re-
cesseS 81 the cages and sl.red at US from
blood-shot ewes. II Is needless to add
thar we kept al a respectable distance
from this department Of II PssteuEs
institute DR.. J. ELLIS jennings.
----
: Doubtful Conclusion.
srasu lie b leae l.e-flsar-
Tie Abilene Reflector SAYS that J. T.
Burton La gone - Chicago to meet the
IngantA Eulalia. + has certainly Is d good
deal more - his taste than euloglz.n :