New-York tribune., 1899-07-29
RABIES VICTIM DIES.
FAILURE OF THE BUIssON SYSTEM TO
CURE HIM OF HYDROPHOBIA.

FAlLU RE OF The BUlSSON S1SIEM III
CURE HIM OF HYDROPHOBIA
The death in the New-York Hospital yesterday OF
Captain George NJ. Bockhoven from what the doc
tors TO be hydrophoba is OF unusual interest,
coming It does right upon the heels Of the at
tack made by the Society for the Prevention OF
Cruelty to Animals upon PasteIr and his method
of incubation for that rare and terrible malady.
The contention of the society. which published
in The Tribune yesterday is that real hydrophobia
attacks dogs much less often than Is generally be-
lieved and that II is seldom communicated by dogs
TO mankind. The society also takes the stand that
the best remedy for hydrophobia, when It does
cur. Is the Buisson cure. which consists OF giving
the patient yapor baths until the poison is sweated
out OF his system 1t also asserts that Pasteur has.
by frightening people into thinking the disease Is
common led hundreds OF people to believe they had
st who had It at all These persons. the
ciety declares. produced symptoms In themselves
similar to those OF hydrophobia by the action Of
their alarmed imaginations upon their overwrought
and expectant nerves. To prove this. the society
produces figures to show that the number OF these
victims OF alleged hydrophoba has increased to
alarming degree instead of diminished since Pas
teur announced his
Captain Bockhoveus case affords the followers Of
Pasteur unusual basis for refuting these
charges, because the vapor bath cure was tried on
him without effect. the Pasteur cure was not tried
at all. and he not the kind of whose
imagination would be likely TO have much effect
on his physical condition. Bockhoven was a steam
boat pilot. and such men chosen for their
lack of nervousness and their robust health. His
life outdoor one and all accounts agree
that his habits steady his blood untainted
by disease and his system vigorous. He was bitten
on juno H. He had the wounds cauterized, and the
broken skin healed them completely. Accord
ing TO his testimony, the incident caused him
no alarm and passed out OF his mind altogether.
He pursued his usual business undsturbed by any
symptoms of approaching illness until last Wednes
! day, when he felt slight pain In his right arm
| He mstook II for rheumatism, and paid atten-
| tion to It. That night at supper he had difficulty
| in swallowing. and the muscles Of his neck and
throat had become stin and contracted. He went
TO a DOCTOR who diagnosed his case asthma. All
night he suffered from pains that rapidly
growing worse. and It until Thursday
morning that he recalled the dog bites and sur
missed that they might be responsible for his cond-
ton. In twenty-four hours thereafter he was dead.
Adherents Of the Pasteur theory assert that TO
argue that Imagination could have so sudden and
terrible effect upon a vigorous, healthy,
matter OF fact steamboat pilot only ffty-fve years
| DID, Is unheard OF and absurd The applied for
relief from his pains to DR.. Paul Giber in charge
Of the Pasteur Institute. in Twenty third-st. but
| Dr. Gibier says the case too far gone for his
! treatment by inocuaton TO be OF any The
patient had been bitten six weeks ago. and the
| Pasteur system Is only eficacious when resorted
| TO within five six days. DR. Glber, therefore, de-
Two vapor baths were accordingly given him, but
! without beneficial effect.
Adherents Of Busson assert that this was no
| fair test OF his system. In the first place, they
say II conducted by physician whose inter-
! ests bound up IN the success OF the Pasteur
at least baths desirable. II not essential TO
| a cure. and Bockhoven got only two. In the third
place, the man so far gone. and his system
| was so thoroughly impregnated with tho virus.
that failure his life ought not TO bring dis
credit any system. This is alleged to be the
first trial Of the Buisson system In this country.
| nd wi 10 could
not have been conducted by one OF whose anxiety
to prove It's efficacy they could not harbor tho
shadow of a doubt.
After the baths had failed 10 afford Bockhoven re-
lief he was sent TO the NewYork Hospital. where
the symptoms OF hydrophobia became more and
| more marked. Viscid saliva issued from his mouth,
the muscles OF his face contracted and remained
fixed. his mind wandered at intervals. and lights
danced before his eyes The pains that wracked
him became excrucating that morphine was
given him TO ueaden them. He retained conscious
symptoms minutely 10 the doctors. He showed re-
markable fortitude and no signs Of nervousness or
| dread OF death. He died at 2:50 a. m.
DR.. Gibier at his bedside watching his oon-
dton. He advised the drawing Of some OF the pa
tents blood and injecting mixture OF salt and
/ upon but II brought relief. About o'clock.
in spite Of the excrucating pain, Captain Book
/ hoven desired 10 dictate letter to his wife. and
/ DR. Gibier wrote az he dictated. The note read as
/ follows: My Dear Wife: know that ! have not
more than a day TO live. realize that must die.
] understand well that am suffering from hydro
many years. Now let's talk matters over You
OF YOU but please don't cry
| Mrs Bockhoven. who had remained at the hospi-
| returned to her home. tired out with her vigil. In
! spite Of her wornout condition she walked the
senger was sent to the house from the hospital TO
| inform her OF her husbands death She tainted
and is completely prostrated