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
clnated,

The autopsy held yesterday on the body
OF Christian Bucka. the sixteen-year-old
schoolboy who died under peculiar cir
| cumstances within a short time after
submitting to vaccination, failed to def
nitely disclose the cause of death It
has developed, however, that young
Bucka was bitten by a dog nearly q
| 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 Bucka's 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-
| tific method Will be employed to ascer-
| tain the true cause of death, because the
| physicians believe that If the Impression
| Is allowed to go abroad that death re-
sufted from vaccination there will be
! created an opposition to the accepted
preventive to smallpox. AT the autopsy
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
eTal 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. DIR.
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 a
swelling under the afflicted arm, both
said to be Indicative of hydrophobia while
it 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 Buckas death
he and Dr. Cavanaush attended the
case.
In support Of the hydrophobia theory
it IS pointed out that about year ago
Bucka was bitten by a dog. DR.. Cava-
naugh attended him then cauterizing
the wound and taking every precautfon
| 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, it Is unusual If young Bucka
was infected at the time of the bite that
the hydrophobia germs should have re-
! manned SO long 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: 81 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 10
hydrophobia it is out of the ordinary
that the disease should have remained
latent so long. I attended the young
fellow when he was bitten and took
such an interest in the case that 1 made
it a personal duty to keep track of the
dog that bit him. 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
BuckaS condition previous to his last
Illness. The wound healed nicely AMI no
danger was thought Of Still there are
many cases on record where hydrophoba
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 a short time
the fact that his parents are opposed
to vaccination, easily lead tho youths
family to attribute is death to vaccina-
tion, but I FIRMLY believe this is not the
case. AS for symptoms of blood poison
ing or septus. there were none. If
death was not due TO rabies the case is
a mystery that only the most complete
scientific investigate can solve
The experiments with the rabbits t. be
iroculated with til serum sele;-ed at
the autopsy yesterday will be carried
on by the municipal authorities in he
health department laboratory and by the
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