Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-27
Paper by Dr. Salmon Of Department
Of Agriculture.
ORDER OF COMMISSIONERS INDoRSED
Manner in Which the Disease NAV
Be Communicated.
STATISTICAL SHOWING

The Reality of Rabies and the Import
ance of Its Control a topic of great local
interest, which is, in part, as follows:
The official notification of the existence
OF rabies among the dogs of the District of
Columbia and the action taken by the Com
missioners for the control of this disease
have led to the publication of various opin-
ions in regard to the matter which are not
altogether calculated to encourage or as
sist the authorities in the performance of
their duty. If the Commissioners were re-
quiring the muzzling of dogs simply to
crafty a within of their own, or if their
action benefited no one but themselves.
good citizens might be excused for keeping
quiet in face of such an attempt to msd-
rect public sentiment. AS, however, the
law requires such action when the exist
ence Of rabies is established, and as there
Is no other way to protect the persons
whose business calls them upon the streets.
particularly the children, it is important
that the facts should be clearly and unequi-
vocally stated.
First, then, is there such disease as
rabies In dogs. ard is it communicable to
human beings? 1 answer yes, there is suca
a disease just as surely as there is disease
called smallpox, and ii Is just as certainly
traDsmissible to people as smallpox is
transmitted from person to person. Rabies
was known to the most ancient writer's on
medical subjects, and from the fourth ceu-
fury before Christ was clearly described by
such writer's as Democritus and Aristotle.
1t was known a thousand years before
smallpox was recognized, and for more
than two thousand years its existence ap-
pears to have been almost universally ad-
n.1tted, except by that minority of erratic
persons who are always found contestipg
the most soliily established facts and prin-
ciples, whether in theology, medicine, his
tory or any other department of human
knowledge.
DOubters in the Professions,
There have however, been doubters and
skeptics in both the medical and veterinary
professions. And the existence of doubts
has been benefit to science rather than
an injury, since 1t has led to experimental
studies which have most clearly revealed
the truth. Early in the century 1S13)
Gruener and Count de Salm demonstrated
that the saliva of rabid dogs contained the
contagion of the disease, and would pro-
duce it in other animals by incubation. In
~ Berndt conducted experiments which
led to the conclusion that the saliva of all
species of animals affected with rabies was
Viruient and would cause the disease when
inoculated. Previous to 1915 these expert
ments had been repeated and confirmed by
such leaders in science as Magendie Rem
auit and Rey. From 1881 to 1885 Pasteur
conducted most important researches
which showed that the virus principally
affected and was most concentrated in the
brain and spinal cord, and he discovered a
method OF vaccination which may be used
TO prevent the development of the disease
after person has been bitten. This meth
Cd OF prevention Is now successfully used
In numerous parts of the world.
The crucial fact is that there is a dis
ease which affects dogs and which may be
communicated to most m-blooded ami
mails by incubation with the saliva-and
TINS lnocuatlon may occur either by the
animals biting each other or by the saliva
being artificially placed upon the surface
of fresh wound. If 1t is not rabies, what
is 1t? And what difference does 1t make
whether it is called rabies or something
else, so long as incubation produces the
same symptoms and the same fatality?
Communicable to Man.
Now, If this disease which we call ra-
btes is so easily communicated by inocuIa-
ton with saliva or brain matter from dog
to dog, from dogs to horses, cattle, sheep
and other animals. why should it not be
communicated as easily to man? Can any
one offer a plausible argument to sustain
the 1mprobability of such transmissiono
The rule with contagious diseases of ami
mails is that where they are communicable
between different species of animals they
are communicable to man. For example,
anthrax fever and tuberculosis affect near
ly all warm blooded animals, and are cas-
lily communicated to man; cowpox affects
horses and cattle and is readily inoculated
on people, being used to confer immunity
from smallpox; aphthous fever affects the
domeSticated herbivera and is transmitted
to man through the milk of affected ami
mails; CHAMBERS affects horses, asses and
mules and is often communicated to the
persons who handle them; tetanus maIig-
nant oedema affect most of the domesti-
Gated animals and also man.
1.-The two diseases of this class affecting
more tnan one species of animals and not
tranSm1Ssable to man are cattle plague,
which is disease confined to Illuminating
animals, and the wild-animal disease of
Europe, which is confined to ruminants and
swine.
Rabies is known to affect, and may be
eSpenmentally produced in, all warm
blooded animals except birds. Is it not rea-
sonable to suppose, from what has just
been said in regard to other animal dis
eases. that 1t, too, is communicable to the
human species? There is at least nothing
in analogy which makes this supposition
improbable
Answer to Skeptics.
But, how are we to explain the position
of the neurologists who deny the existence
of rabies? Personally. I doubt very much
If any considerable proportion OF neurolo-
gists can be accused of this skepticism.
However, the neurologists are specialists
who devote their attention to the nervous
system, and it has been truly said: The
bane Of specialism is the tendency to fix
the attention upon facts in the special field
of investigation, to the exclusion Of facts
whose existence is fully demonstrated in
other religions of research There is no
reason why the opinion of the neurologist
should have special authority as to this
disease. Rabies is not disease originating
In the human nervous system. 1t is dis
ease caused by virus, which Is inserted
in the human system by incubation, and
this virus penetrates to the nervous CEN
ters where it causes irritation, which in
turn reduces the symptoms of nervousness.
excitabiiity, spasmodic contractions of GER
tain muscles, difficulty of swallowing liquids
a n qrny of emf that
in this disease.
Essential Feature.
1.-THE fact that rabies does no. exist and
cannot originate except as a result of in
oculation from some person or animal af-
fected with the disease is an essential fea-
ture which should not be forgotten. All the
talk about rabies being caused by fright
ening or neglecting dogs, by combining them,
by muzzling. by exposure to heat, by indi-
gestion, or by any cause, excepting inocu-
lation with rabies virus. has no other foun-