The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-01-01
Little Is Known.


Little Is Known.
pr. Salmon the chief Of the bureau,
stated today TO Times reporter tina very
little is known of the physiological aspect
OF n hydrophoba. He is satisfied that
there is such malady, although its cause
or the means by which if is developed
in "A subject are not known.
The germ of hydrOphotia has never
been found said he, although many
efforts have been made in the 1000 years
OF man $ knowledge of the disorder.
Rabies is a fact; a deadly, dreadful
fact. That is too well established TO re
quire argument. The disease is not the
result of vivid Imagination.
"A highly nervous condition undoubtedly
has its sympathetic relations with the
malady. II is. however, folly to say that
there is 10 such thing as hydrOphobia and
that people die purely OF fright.
Take tie case Of u child bitten by q
mad dog. What part does its imagination
play? None at all. Many are too young
to know anything. Again. bow about
a rabbit? How does its imagination
develop such symptoms Yet one rahid
rabbit Will be used o. Inoculate another,
and the latter for an,yther. aud so on, each
i'll turn having hydropHofla. and all dying
OF it.
The photographic condition is always
found at the basc OF the b-ain and in the
spinal cord. How il gets there, | can't say
1t is questionabOut which there is great
difference OF opinion.
There are many waysby which the virus
could reach the medUlla, but how it actual
ly does, is not yet known TO me.
Treatment by InOcuIation.
The PasteUr treatment by incubation
has been found very successful in Paris.
In only Cne- fourth OF Que per cent OF the
cases has the method been a failure l an
not familiar with the New York institution.
but / am told a much greater percentage
of its cases fatally terminate
The theory that the virus l., carried
through the nerves does not explain every
case, as it has happened that in many III
stances the nerves have been cut, cOnmuni-
cation with the brain stopped, and yet all
it dih was to delay the development Of the
disease, which in the end killed the pa
tient.''
Experiments are now being made here
based upon a theory of thorough cauteriza-
ton, with view of determining the length
OF time, and the manner in which the viru
lent virus is carried from the wound through
the system to the brain
eminentp physician ofthiS city in speak
ing OF the subject, said
Through what vesSri is the virus trans
nitted to the brain and cord, where il ap-
parently lodges and destroys its functions
All text books on tlie subject say that the
nearer the injury to the brain the shorter
the incUbativc stage
How can ii make difference if the
virus is absorbed by the lymphaucs or blood
vessels Does it not seem probable that
the virus finds its way to the brain by en-
tering an open or in jured nerve trunk, and
by catabolic action slowly travels upward
within the sheath untiIit finds its last rest
ing place in the cord and brain?
The Cautery.
''Ifinvestigation. both chemlcal and micro
scopicaI, should lead to such conclusions,
then a further Investigation should be madc
to ascertain how fast this destructive gent
travels If slow. we would he safe to use
the actual cautery, even some time after
tie inf!iction of the injury, and, if neces-
destroy the virus pus tissues at the seat Of
the injury.
"Our psychologists insist that the theory
OF catatosis is past, and, being In the era of
microbes, that we would have to look to
living organisms as the true cause Of this
disease. ationbccomingneccs-
sary. Until then one theory viii hold as
good as another.
SIN my opinion, what we physicians are
most interested in is to know the charac-
ter of the virus and how to prevent its dele
terious effects upon our patients.
Evidence of Rabies.
Another question as toimmuning WHAT
evidence have we that parties We send to
institutions tObeimm uned, at greatexpensc.
had rabies? As we have evidence that
where several persons were bitten bya rabid
animal, probably one alone would succumb
to the disease and the rest escape
SIS it not reasonable that in the one n
nerve trunk was opened, while in the others
this was not the case? Where once the dis
ease has been positively diagnosed we
have not heard of a case that has been
cured by the so-called anti -tOxine or
rabeis.'
Dr.. Salmon is making deep study Of the
problem, and has received many reports
from Paris of the treatment of cases there.
Speaking of the case where only one. of
several bitten, will suffer, he stated that it
has happened that no virus entered those
enjoying immunity.
He is positive that the aBti-toxine method
of treatments is correct, and believes that a
sufferer, If treated in time, can be saved
from the horrible death by hydrOphobla
Alderman Provost Disappeared.
AInntrnnI A sensation " a