The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-04-01
WILL TRY RABIES TESTS
PHYSICIANS ARE INTERESTED In
THE DEATH OF CHRISTIAN
BUCKA
AUTOPSY DIsCLosEs LITTLE
To Throw Light ON the Sudden
Death OF the Young Man Who
Was Recently Vac
cinated.

The autopsy held yesterday on the body
of Christian Bucka, the sixteen-year-old
schoolboy who died under peculiar cir
cumstances within q short time after
submitting to vaccination, failed to def
nttely disclose the cause of death. 1t
has developed, however, that young
Bucka was bitten by a dog nearly
year ago, and as some of the symptoms
evident when he died were those Of rab-
les, the physicians investigating the case
are proceeding along lines expected to es-
tablish the fact that Buckas death was
due to rabies instead of blood poisoning
| caused by vaccination.
Much interest has been aroused in the
case among physicians, and every scien-
tifc method will be employed to ascer-
tain the true cause of DEATH because the
physicians believe that IL the impression
is allowed to so abroad that death re-
suited from vaccination there will be
created an opposition to the accepted
preventive to smallpox. AT the autopsy
a quantity Of serum was removed from
the spinal chord. This will be injected
into rabbits, and the effects on the health
Of the animals carefully watched to dis
cover If any symptoms of hydrophobia
develop.
Bucka, who died at 533 West Seventh
| street, Friday, had been vaccinated sew
| eral days before and as the pains Of
| which he complained affected the arm
| where he had been vaccinated, his par
| ents are inclined to believe that blood
| poison or fockjaw, induced by the vac
| cine, caused death.
Young Bucka was vaccinated against
| the wishes of his parents. He was told
| by the principal of the Monroe school
| that he must be vaccinated or he could
| not remain in his class. Under these in
structions he visited DR.. ]. o. Cava-
naugh and was Vaccinated. This was
Friday. Of last week The next day the
| boy complained of feeling unwell He
| grew worse, complaining OF severe pains
| in the arm where he had been Vaccinated,
until finally compelled to go to bed. DR..
| Cavanaugh attended the boy, and also
| called DR.. Ohage in consultation. The
! symptoms were peculiar There was evil
| dent the commissions of the throat and
swelling under the afflicted arm, both
! said to be indicative of hydrophobia, while
| 1T Is claimed there were no symptoms OF
blood poisoning. DR.. Sweeney, a special
| list on nervous diseases, was called into
| the case, and until young Bucka's death
| he and DR.. CaVanaugh attended the
case.
In support Of the hydrophobia theory
| it is pointed out that about year ago
| Bucka was bitten by dog. DR.. Cava-
| naugh attended him then cauteriZing
the wound and taking every precaution
! against rabies The wound healed nicely
! and nothing more was thought of the dog
bite. The dog that bit Bucka, as nearly
| as can be learned, lived about the neigh
| borhood for as long as a month. This
was unusual if the animal was inflicted
| with rabies. And likewise, the ply
| sicians say, 1t is unusual If young Bucka
| was infected at the time of the bite that
| the hydrophobia germs should have re-
| manned so fong dormant in his system.
! Yet is it pointed out that hydrophobia
| may remain latent for several years only
| TO be reused by a wound, excitement or
! disease. If Bucks death was not due
| to hydrophobia the physicians do not
| know to what cause to attribute It, for
| they claim there were no symptoms Of
| any other disease.
In speaking of the case yesterday DR..
! Cavanaugh said: ST am of the opin-
ion that Bucka died from hydrophobia,
yet I confess there are some things
against this theory. On the other hand,
! there Is nothing to establish that the
youth died from blood poisoning or
from any affection induced by having
been vaccinated. If death was due TO
| hydrophobia it is out Of the ordinary
that the disease should have remained
fellow when he was bitten and took
such an interest in the case that I made
| it a personal duty to keep track Of the
| dog that bit him. 1 know positively
! that the dog was alive and apparently
well three weeks after Bucka was bit-
ten Ordinarily an animal afflicted with
rabies does not live more than ten days
or two weeks. Then there never were
any symptoms of rabies evident in
Bucka's condition previous to his last
| illness. The wound healed nicely AMI no
danger was thought of. Still there are
many cases on record where hydrophobia
! has developed from one to three years
after persons have been bitten by an af-
| flicted animal, though such cases ale the
exception rather than the rule. The
fact that Bucka complained of pains in
| the arm, where he had been vac mated
and the coincidence that the pains mani
| tested themselves within q short time
after he was vaccina ed, coupled with
the fact that his parents are opposed
to vaccination, easily lead tho youths
family to attribute is death to vaccina-
ton, but I FIRMLY believe this is not The
case. AS for symptoms of blool poison
ing or septus, IN ere were none If
/ death was not due 70 rabies the case is
lnystery that only the most complete
scientific investigation can solve"
| The experiments with the rabbits to be
iroculated with til serum sele; ed at
the autopsy yesterday will be carried
on by the municipal authorities in the
health department laboratory and by the
state specialists. If the results in both
instances are indicative Of rabies the
proof will be deemed positive
The funeral of Bucka will take place
from the family residence at o'clock
| this afternoon. The interment will be
at Oakland cemetery.