The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-03-14
MAYOR DORIAN AND DIR. STONE ARE
WIDELY APART ON
s'-.f ta >seduRABIES.
LATTER INSISTS s list IT EXISTS
TNOCULATED RABBITS DIED
= TA0F 1T.
AND DID NOT sTARvE TO DEATH.
As the MayoFsCIaimed in an Inter-
view on the Subject of Mad Dog
Investigation.


issue with Mayor Doran's assertions
relative to the purpose Of the health
department in investigating the SUBJ
Ject or rabies and conducting expert
ments upon rabbits, with a view to
demonstrating the existence and pre-
Valence Of that disease. The mayor,
VINO Is somewhat Of a sceptic on the
subject of rabies. delivered himself
after the dinner which he partook Of
with DR.. Stone and his health depart
ment staff of the opinion that the OBJ
1ect Of the health department was to
propagate rabbits under circumstances
tnat prevented their living
Inc mayor Is in error" said DR..
stone, when seen yesterday. "The
heaIth department is not engaged in the
occupation of propagating rabbits. Its
business is to experiment on those rab-
plts IN order to save human life. The
ulstlhctlon Is quite marked J notice
that the mayor declared that the cab-
pItS experimental upon were starved to
neath. AS a proof Of this he cites the
TACT that they eat the ;awtiust in their
boxes or compartments. Thae is true.
But these rabbits were provided with
the best of food. No rabbits were ever
so Well fed, yet they soon refused the
1000 and eat the saw1ust, which was
the strongest symptom of raties.
All desire to say is that there is
n question In, the mind of DR.. Roth
Ioth, LII. PRICE and myself, that rabies
Aisls' Ionwhat extent we do not
know. DR.. CO N. Hewitt ex-secretarv
OF the state board of health, informed
me last Thursday that he had found a
case or rabies in MINNEAPOLIS. Rut
even admitting for the sake of areu-
nleht that this Is nothing but a scare
MAINTAIN that the muzzling of the
9oss Tor three 5or four months and the
obstruction OF those dogs not muzzIed
VIII remove all cause for alarm. wheth
er IL be real or imaginary, and all good
cltlzens ought, to assist the health de-
pftrtment whether they believe in tha
LdnIc scare or not. l might add that
Prof. Reynolds, of the state agricuI-
tufal farm, has been requested to come
70 town and examine a supposed rabic
uos captured today. We expect a
report Monday from Prof Westbrool1
the pacter1ologist of the state uniyer-
SHY, on the cases previously examined
IN the city laborotary
L also noticed that the mayor had
something to say about Mr.. Moriarjtv
ana the sanitation company. What
Mr.. Moriarity and his sanitation com
L q
less to imagine. The corporation at
torney advised me that / had no legal
right to issue, permits to Moriarity. and
as the corporation attorney,is the legal
ADVISER of my department.; L was oh
i1sed7 to take his opinion as final until
iCa3Was 81 determined by the courts.
Equally with other city officers r ann
compelled to- enforce the ordinances.
ana IN This case, ], was obliged, to cause
the arrest OF any man doing such seav-
enger work without a permit from the
health department. The fact that Mo-
rtarity was fined in the police court
Justffies my action"
DR.. Stone then made public for the
first time the letter he wrote to Mayor
Doran Wednesday. This Letter was
written in response to the mayor's ver
bal request made to DIR. Stone. when
the latter called upon him with a view
to securing the muzzling of dogs run
ming at large and the destruction of
those not muzZled. The letter is as
follows:
Hon. F. B. Doran. Mayor, City of St. Paul
Dear Sir: l herewith inclose an excerpt of
my annual report submitted to you some
weeks ago. the same being a portion of the
report made to me by DR.. Rothrock as
sistant commissioner of health / also incIose
S0pces MADE 6 to me by the live stock in
1897. 49, '"A -
would respectfully call your attention to
the fact that rabies is much more prevalent
contrary to the general opinion) during the
months. OF JANUARY, February and March,
than at any other portion Of the year. |
would respectfully call your attention TO the
fact that during the past eighteen months
six citizens Of the city have lost their lives
from undoubted hydrophobia. l would re-
spectfully suggest that under the power vest
ed In you for the purpose, first, Of protecting
human life; and secondly, of protecting the
dogs of intrinsic value, you should issue an
order obliging owners to muzzle all dogs run
ming at large, Until further notice; that YOU
should order the police force to list and re-
port all dogs not so muzzled, and that you
should appoint dog catchers acting under the
direction of the police, to catch and destroy
all dogs whose owners do not comply with
the law; licensing dogs, and with such orders
as you may make. You will appreciate that
| am not an alatnlst when / say to you that
this is the first public statement that have
made during the past year upon the subject of
rabies and that | am urged to this by COM
plants from prominent citizens including
leading physicians, that the municipal gov
eminent has been very neglectful in its eff
forts to protect its citizens from the dangers
of the present epidemic.
l sincerely trust that the above suggestions
are in line with your request of yesterday.
very respectfully, "A. ]. Stone.