The times., 1897-09-05
RABIES ONLY A DELU5ION
DR.. Rosse's Conclusions About
the Dreaded Hydrophobia.
STATES GROUNDS OF BELIEF
He Is ia Line With Recent DecIara-
tious of the New York Academy
of Mediciine-Dr. Lees Heroic
Test History Quoted Against the
worlds Convictions.

The subject of hydrophobia has recently
attracted unusual and widespread atten-
tion, owing to the-fact that several deaths
have occurred in this city, claiming as the
direct cause the bite of dog supposed to
be rabid.
There are many persons who believe with
some good ground of support that no such
disease as hydrophobia exists and it is a
fact admitted by eminent medical authori-
ties that it does not appear as often
one would be led TO believe by the constant
killing Of dogs in hot weather. DR.. Irving
Z. Rosse, an eminent physician of Wash
ington, and professor of nervous disc eases
in one OF the medical colleges, who has
given the subject of hydrophobia much
study and research, has just returned from
New York, where he attended tile meeting
Of tie New York Academy of Medicine,
which was convened for the purpose of
discussing the subject of hydropGohia.
When asked as to the result of the meet
ing and his views on the subject, he said:
1--WE decided that hydrophobia does not
exist from the causes generally accepted
by the public, and l don't think it will
take long TO prove it and thus set the
@ublic right by dispelling the delusioh the y
have so long prevailed under.
~ arious citations, ancient, foreign and
current, 60 to show the widespread dis
may and terror respecting the unseen and
unrelt mischief from the ravages OF mad
dogs There occurs, on the other hand, ex
preston of doubts of preponderating
character by able physicians who look up
on the disease misealled hydrophobia as
proceeding from the bite of d dog, as moth
ing more thau one of the instances OF
delirimenta OF the learned, or purely con-
tingeut disease, depe nding for its existence
upon some peculiar individual state Of mind
and body or upon the nature and seat of
wound independent of virus communicated
by the bite.
dogs during August are said to be af
fected worse than any other time during
the heated period with rabies, and the
saliva in jected by the bite is supposed to
produce hydro phobia; but to disprove this
belief I cite the case of the celebrated
DR.. Heberdeen, who at the age OF ninety
one, in fun practice in London; declares
he never saw the disease arising from the
bite of q rabid animal. He mentions
having witnessed the principal symptoms
of hydrophobia namely, the extreme dread
of liquids, also the case of an English
surgeon, Or. Lee, who was an authority
on this question. He went so far TO prove
the non-existenoe of hydrophobia as to in
oculate himself with the saliva of a rabid
dog. He failed to experience any of the
feelings said to occur from its injection.
ST have come across exponents of the
medical mind who go back to the Honeric
era, and to the time Of Cellius Aurelianus,
who taught that the disease may develop
in man in spontaneous manner, without
the incubation of the saliva from a rabid
dog.
My position is an unenviable one, when
/ assume to controvert long established
delusion and appear on the minority
side of this question, but if doubling men
had never set faces against false belief
and torn away the veil Of darkness many
Of our citizens OF Massachusetts would still
testify In cases as to the existence of the
evil eye and to have seen witches riding
brooms through the air.
without going into an elaborate discus