Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-06-11
ABOUT HYDROPHOBIA.

The Petersburg Index-Appeal mas '"0
following on the subject Of mad-dosS'
.Tbc season of warm weather IS AT
hand and the newspapers VIII Soo'
contain sensational accounts OF hsulO-
,hobia in man and beast. Inc eh'e,
,r,eino policeman will be perniciousy
a,,i,,o with club and pistol 10 uesloS
dogs that may be overcome WIN NJ.
ond want of water and TO manufacture
stories Of bydrophobia, to the cohste'H" ia
lion Of the ignorant and timid NOT
-, ,,secs that several so-called
,,,od.doos are not killed I'm this city anu
vicinity. and yet we venture 10 ASST
mat there has not been an AUTHENTICATE
case of hydrophobia in PetersDuIs' ol 80 80
Virginia. during the last halt-ceh'u'y :"
ever at any time. The popular i'i"
tion associates hydrophoDia WIN ~,
weather and with certain weh-ueiiiIoN
SYMPTOMS. such as snapplhb' 9'',ss,
barking. biting. frothing at t"e tnr
and an uncomfortable aNe'slo"
water. whereas. persons VINO pa -
fulIv studied the subject say that hyuro-
-, &C. q disease peculiar TO cold Gil
r,ates. that its victims do not snarl anu
~ ,,or do they bark and froth AT
No mouth. or have spasms at ihe SisnI
~ water dog, or person VINO -
r,o ,,ictim of his imagination may 40
an these things. and yet be o"hsriOu
roi4bnr 70 himself nor to others. II -
80 y. boned that the police VIII ihNesu-
Ito tbis matter. and be sure thal lhc!
&c making no mistake when they XIII,
,,orbons valuable dogs for no eIea'',
offence than being overcome py '"0 "'"'
Of the season.
we think the Index-Appeal errs III
s.o,,ng that hydVjphobia is disease
neculiar TO cold climates. 1t IS wen
,,,,ou,n and much dreaded in ltaiy anu
croocc end has been from the days u
r. classic writers. The main features
- Tho disease are similar in the lower
a,,,,,o1s and in men. but the dread OF
,,.oter appears only to affect the latter
so too. swapping movement OF tno
PATIENTS laws. as if he were about 10
hte may often be noticed, "but these
80 4, reality a manifestation Of the
,.,,,,,oodic action which affects the mus
Giles generally" SO, too our au'hoii''
G,ncyclopaedia Britannica says: Inc pa
,iort suffers from thirst, and desires
eagerly TO drink. but on making tie Ell
for, &c seized with most violent SUM ca
live paroxysm, produced by spasm 81
the muscles of swallowing and breath
! ms" &C. &c.
AZ we have several times stated, Dr.
Beale. who had practiced medicine ID
Richmond for half a century. and VINO
died some years ago, was wont to declare
| that he had never seen a case OF hEdro'
nbohia I'm man. nor had he ever peei
able TO find any other physician VINO hau
| since then. however. more than one VIZ
,inia uhysician has seen such cases, ai'
II we remember Alright, one OF these
81 the instance of Dr. w. W. Parker
wrote out a report of case that ne AZ
tordod. and submitted the report TO th
virginia Medical Society, by whom II wa
r,,hliebed We need scarcely say that th'
person bitten died. Later still there nav
been virginia cases reported in the news
raners. where persons supposed to nav
hecn bitten by mad-dogs have died Wiz
all the symptoms of hydrophobia'
Tho pub.ic mind has been very disagree
ably and lastingly impressed by the deaf
within the past twelve months OF lou
lite boys of Baltimore, who were OIL
ten by a ST. Bernard dog True som
ottenpt has been made to ascrlDe IN
death Of these boys 10 the Pasteur urea
rent to which they were SUBJECTED
Inn, co far as we have been able I
iudge. the attempt has failed
Judeing 10y The frequent calls mere
picbmond for "the maidstone man
snappish ours are going at large ana u
neonle are very much afraid o. lhen
oeton when a person is bitten by the'
,aoohondish dogs the bitten person CONF
or Is brought to Richmond In search
a maidstone. -,
In VIRGINIA. among the masses, u
maidstone is in higher repute thah u
pasteur treatment, or any other IRE"
mont. In vain have physicians al
editors asserted that the stone is vsiu
t loss as a curative agent. Stil, the pc
s n,e call for ii, and we sometimes lc
that before making use of it they Il
NOT careful enough to cleanse the stor
cor,oinlv if The stone is an aosorpei
# may absorb from one wound ana q
d ont the poisonous matter TO aho'ii
L wound.
e Instead of killing dogs that are 81
- nectea of having hydrophobia 1t wo'
he much better TO capture and chain th'
until expert authority could determi
&c whether they are really victims OF
Is disease or not. In most cases 1t wo'
,e annear that the dogs are free from I
80 disease. and to know this wor-d be
Great comfort TO all who may have be
bitten by them. But alas! few perso
~ are willing TO undertake to capture
te so-caned "mad-dog." 1t is another CT
Il. Of bellng COR not belling) the cat.
- we guess that the old, old way OF q
nosing of ''mad-dogs" will be foilowe
O. most Of the suspected dogs VIII
n killed. Certainly. in cases of seri'
or doubt IT would be better to Kill the
or pected dog than to give him the OPP
90 tunity TO do the mischief that the
80 Rernard dog did in Baltimore.