The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-07-21
AUTHORITY ON HYDRoPHoB1A.
Are There Such Things as Mad" logs
Some Interesting Facts on
the Subject.
Salem IN. ~ Standard.

Since the mad dog scare reached Salem a
| few weeks ago the question of hydrophobia
and the torturing of dogs with muzzles, con-
fnement, &C.. has been discussed on street cor
ners and almost every business place and
household in the city. Many have argued that
dogs are only affected with rabies during the
hot weather, while others claimed that dogs
were more likely to go mad in cold weather.
Mr.. A. W. Sherron, the grocer, who is one of
our most humane citizens, has kindly furnish
ed the Standard with the following authenti-
Gated and interesting article:
Is there such thing as rabies, and such a
thing as mad dog? In the thirty years since
the American Society for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Animals was established in Phila-
dephia, their officers and agents have been
on the lookout, but no undoubted case has
ever fallen under their observation, or within
their knowledge, and of over 160, 900 dogs and
other small animals which have been cared for
at their shelter during the past three years,
not one single case of rabies has been found.
The late DR.. Hiram Corson, of Montgomery
county, Pa, whose practice extended over a
period of seventy years, during which time he
searched diligently for the disease in man and
animal, wrote II have never had real case
of hydrophobia."
has been in quest of the disease for twenty
years, and who during two summers personal
ly visited every case reported in Philadelphia,
asserts that he never saw hydrophobia either
in man or animal. Six years ago he offered
to pay 500 to any person bringing him pa
tent with hydr0phobia. So far no one has
ever claimed the reward.
At the Philadelphia dog pond, where, on an
average, over 6, 900 vagrant dogs are taken up
annually, and where the catchers and keepers
are frequently bitten while handling them,
not one case of hydrophobia has occurred dur
of lfxy-fs
which time $50, 600 dogs were handled.
DR.. Edward G. Spitzka professor of Medical
Jurisprudence, and of Anatomy and Ply
siology of the Nervous System, in the New
York Graduate School of Medicine writes :
Much of the observation of suspicious dogs is
made through optics disturbed by fear and by
persons incompetent to interpret what they
see." He continues that notwithstanding
his every effort to secure observation of rabies
in man or dog, not single opportunity has
offered itself.
DIR. Charles w. Duties, lecturer on the His
/ tory of Medicine at the University of Pennsyl.
vania, has investigated, either personally or by
correspondence with the physician in atten-
dance, every case reported in the newspapers
of the United States for the past sixteen years.
From his observation he concludes that there
is no such specific malady, having after six
teen years of investigation failed to find sim
gle case on record that can be conclusively
proved to have resulted from the bite of dog
or any other cause"
Dr. Charles X. Mills, professor of Mental
hiEaases iand eff Medical pdanSe Qnll-
| pus Diseases Woman's Medical College, Phila-
| Helphia, says: II have seen many patients
| suffering from what was called hydrophobia,
| both III my own practice and in consultation
with other physicians, yet all were examples
of diseases of entirely different character, with
symptoms resembling those supposed to be
| symptoms of hydrophobia. do not feel justi-
| fled in saying that hydrophobia does not ex-
| list, but have never seen a So-called case that
could not be explained on some other view
than that of the introduction of specific NOR
| bid virus Although / have taken special
pains to find a clear case ofhydrophobia in the
human subject, have not yet succeeded"
Hydrophobia in the human subject then APP
| pears to be, in nearly every case, a disease-of
the imagination-andd does not exist otherwise
| There are doubtless cases of blood poisoning
such as may follow any wound caused by
| the bite of q dog, but not one of these cases
out of a hundred is real hydrophobia. And
when you hear of a mad dog having passed
through the neighborhood, followed by COM
pany of excited men with clubs, guns and
pitchforks, or his having been killed after Bit
| ing all the dogs he meets, of the bitten dogs
sacrificed in consequence, just conclude that
| here was poor dog that had lost his master
| and was running to find him, running until
famished and tired out, irrated and angry at
the cruelty shown him along the road and
probably not case OF rabies at all. And
| whatever you do avoid joining in the mad and
cruel chase of the poor, thirsty, hunted, un-
| happy dog.
Mad dogs are in the nature Of myths and
should be so considered by intelligent people.
In case one is bitten by dog or a cat,
whether supposed to be mad or not, the best
thing you can do is just take few vapor baths,
as hot as you can bear them. The preparation
will eliminate any poison that the bite may
have introduced into your system. Then en-
deavor to forget all about it. If you follow
this simple advice the chances are intellectually
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