The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1897-07-28
The HYDROPHOBIA SHAM.
THERE IS NO SUCH MALADY, SAYS
DIR. DULLES.
A Plea for the Maligned, Bruised and
Beaten Dog. A Great Injustice
to That Animal.

In Our Animal Friends, we'll edited
publication gotten out by the American
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals, is well written and timely ar
ticle on hydrophobia and rabies. In the
first place, the editor takes occasion to
say that what are known as "dog days"
is great injustice to that animal. No
one day or days of the whole year is
more likely to bring ou what IS known
as rabies than any other day. A dog is
MT more subject to that disease in July
and August than in December and Jan
uary, it says. Some of the most celebrat-
ed physicians in the world do not hest
tate to say that there is no such thing as
hydrophobia, 1t certainly must be one
of the rarest diseases in the world, con-
tends this publication, and rabies, if
there be such thing, is one of the rarest
diseases of the dog. Some eminent ply
sicians look upon the disease as purely
imaginary, as witchcraft. One never
hears of hydrophobia in Asia Minor and
COnstontinople, though the last named
place is the ideal home of the NANCY,
half-starved cur. Many of the great doc
tors seem to think that the disease is
mere similation, dread of it.
DR.. Chas. W. Dulles, the eminent lect-
urer on the History of Medicine at the
University of Pennsylvania, has cores
pOnded on this subject with most of the
distinguished medical men in Europe
says this journal. He has been repeated
ly appointed by the medical societies of
the state of Pennsylvania to investigate
rabies. DR.. Dulles says that he has also
performed the almost incredible task of
investigating, either personally or by
correspondence with the physician or
others in attendance, every case of by
drOpLObia reported in the newspapers of
the United States for the past sixteen
years" The result of all this patient
and conscientious work has not only
brought DR.. Dulles to the conclusion
that "hydrophObia is extremely rare"
but has also inclined him to believe that
there is no such specific malady," since
he has failed, latter sixteen years of in
vestigation, to find single case on rec
ord that can be conclusively proved to
have resulted from the bite of a dog or
any other cause" We need hardly OBJ
serve that this fact, for fact it is, reduces
the probability that any supposed case
of hydrOphobia has been really caused
by the bite of a dog almost to zero. And
then this other conclusion of necessity
follows-that the cases Of supposed by
drophobia which do undoubtedly occur
from time to time are almost, if not uni
Yersally, caused by the influence of i'm
aginatiOn excited by dread of a disease
which probably has no existence. In
view of these facts, is it not duty to
humanity to endeayor in every possible
way to combat the superstition which
breads hydrophobia from every over
heated dog in dog days? Is it not time
for the press to refuse to publish reports
which tend to spread disease which is
no. rabies transferred to the human sub
ject, but which is the spontaneous prod
uct of imagination, and is, therefore,
called by at least one eminent medical
man by the name of newspaper hydro
phobia?'
Our Dumb Friends makes plea for
the dog so often set upon and bruised
and beaten and chased under some i'm
aginary idea that he has rabies And it
particularly teaches us that there is no
such thing as "dog days." and that what
is sometimes called rabies is as likely
when the SHOWS are on the ground as
when the August sun scorches.
EoIrrnbIo