Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-08-01
THE DOG-BlTTEN CHILDREN
Their Case Considered Last
Night by Council.
HELP WITHHELD BY THE CITY
The Matter Dropped After
Hearing Doctors.


! City Council held special meeting
! Mondyy evening for the purpose of con-
I eidering the question of appropriating
money TO send the children who were
bitten by Frederick Steinicken's dog
to the Pasteur Institute. City Solicitor
Harman and members of the Board OF
Health were present by request.
After President Baylis had announced
the object of the meeting Mr.. O'Neill,
for the purpose of properly bringing tho
matter before Council, moved that the
4 sum Of $500 be appropriated and that
4 ii be charged to the appropriation for
miscellaneous and incidental expenses,
which motion was seconded by Mr..
i Meaney.
NJ City Solicitor Harman was asked to
express his opinion respecting the
j legality of the proposed action. He said
L Council, if it thought the public
health or public. safety demands the
appropriation, would be justified in
appropriating the money, but other
wise it would not. The question of
fcharity or sympathy should not be con-
sidered. Council handles public money
and it would be justified in expending
\ il for the good of the people, but it
could not appropriate it for the benefit
of an individual. 1t should be as
sured that the children were bitten and
that the dog was mad, and that the
public is likely TO suffer thereby.
DR.. Wales. president of the Board
of Health, was heard next. He said
\ two questions should be considered
4 was the dog mad and were the chill
dren bitten in such parts that rabies
will result2 The Board of Health, GER
tainly has nothing to do with the case.
The advisability of the appropriation
remained entirely with Council. In
reply to a question he stated that there
is no remedy for the rabies outside
the Pasteur Institute, and he added
that from what he knows of the insti-
tute it is not a certain remedy.
DIR. Frantz, also a member of the
Board of Health, concurred with DR..
Wales. If child of his were bitten
by dog which had the rabies or which
was supposed to have the rabies he
would send it to the Pasteur Institute
and he would not delay the proceeding.
He said the treatment Of the Institute
is the latest Of the day.
William f. Kurtz, who has taken a
deep interest in the matter, reviewed
the case and explained that he does
not know anything about mad dogs and
that he had never contended that Mr..
Steinicken's dog was mad.
DR.. Springer, also a member of the
Board OF Health said the foundation
of the story is that the dog was bitten
by supposed mad dog. Mrs. Stein
icken, he added, had informed him
that she cut hair off the dog and could
not find a scratch ON the animal. She
had also told him that the dog drank
milk at noon on the day the children
were bitten and that it drank water at
4 o'clock in the afternoon. If itdrank
water in the time stated, he contended,
it could not have been mad. He ad-
vised Council to investigate the case
before it spent any great amount of
money. lie did not know that he
would send child of his to the Pas
teur Institute. He has little faith in
it and great many scientific men
have little faith in it. He claimed
that there was no evidence of the chill
dren having been bitten by mad dog.
He ridiculed the habit of having dog
bites cauterized. contending that ii a
person is bitten by mad dog, the rabies
will instantly enter the victim SYSTEM
and also ridiculed the superstition
that il a person is bitten by dog
the dog is allowed to live and be-
comes mad the Individual bitten will
become mad.
AT tho conclusion of DIR. Springer Is
remarks Mr.. O'Neill stated that he did
not desire to press his motion and, with
the consent Of Mr., Meaney, he with
drew it. Thereupon Council adjourned.