Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-18
A REPORT ON RABIES
Investigation by the District Medical
Society.
RESULT FILED WITH COMMISSIONERS
Symptoms Described at Consider
able Length.
PREVAILED IN DISTRICT

At a meeting of the Medical Society Of
the District held April II. 1900, a resolution
was adopted reciting that whereas legisla-
ton concerning hydrophobia is contem-
plated by Congress, and as conflicting
and even incorrect views as to the reality
and nature of the disease have been OK
pressed, the society, under the cir
cumstance. should place itself upon rec
ord regarding the true status of the dis
ease. The resolution directed reference
of the matter to the society's committee
on public health, Dr. ]. w. Chappell, chair
man. for such action as it might deem
proper. This committee, after carefully
reviewing the literature of the subject,
giving due consideration to the facts and
arguments presented pro and con, submitted
a report to the society at a meeting held
the 18th instant. The report was unani-
mousiy adopted, and today DR.. Francis 2.
Morgan. secretary of the society, filed
copy thereof with the District Commission
erS.
The Reality of Rabies.
ut is not to be inferred says the COM
mittee, that the members of the society
need any arguments to convince them OF
the reality of rabies or that the committee
can further enlighten them concerning 1t,
for they are presumably as well, If not bet
ter. informed upon the subject than are
the members of the committee. Nor Is this
report intended to meet the objections of
those who refuse to accept the biological
test and who at the same time cannot or
will not believe the testimony. such as that
here presented of competent witnesses
Such persons could not be convinced-that
is. if they are sincerely seeing case
even simply because, having no other cases
for comparison, there would I've ne means
of veritication.
h. nf hn iSta Of RI
or hydrophobia. both among men and ami
mails, no reasoning or reasonable persons
who will take the trouble to investigate
can for one moment entertain doubt; and
until such an investigation has been made
no one has any right to make a positive
assertion. That many persons. including
physicians and other men of prominence,
have never seen a case. although it may
indicate the comparative infrequency OF the
disease. particularly in man, is no argument
whatever against its existence. The same
might be said in regard to NUMBER OF
other diseases concerning which a doubt
has never been expressed, or the same
might be said concerning the existence in
foreign country or city, for example
Reports of Cases on File.
The report states that In the index cata-
loc,ie of the surgeon generals office there
are thirty-onc pages. besides large
drawer filed with cards. devoted to titles
of articles upon hyGrophobia, or to reports
of cases that have occurred In nearly all
parts of the world. comprising reports
mainly from perfectly reliable sources
and the articles. at least most of them, are
hy men OF recognized authority who believe
in the realty of the disease and have had
more or less experience with it
Reference IS made by the committee to a
commission of very eminent physicians ap-
pointed in England in 1896 by the house OF
commons to investigate Pasteurs treatment
for rabies, which commission approved the
treatment. and thereby, the Medical Socie-
tvs committee believes declared the DIS
taSe-rabieS-tO have an existence "A Sc
lect committee of the English house OF
lords later investigated the question, reach
ing the same conclusion The representa-
tive medical authorities Of this country, II
is claimed. the men who do the thinking
and teaching, recognize the Importance or
the subject.
Rabies" as defined by the Medical So
ciety's committee, lis an acute, specific dis
ease, due TO specific cause, virus-ai-
most certainly living germ or elaborated
by a living Serm-that Is transmitted only
by incubation. This process, when It is ac-
compishesl IS brought about almost with
out exception by an animal suffering from
the disease conveying to the wound infiict-
ed by his teeth, either upon another animal
or upon man, saliva which contains the
virus.
THE striking similarity If not exact iden-
tity Of symptoms and this any one who
reads the cases on record will observe in
man as we'll as animals, widely separated
both to time and place. can be explained
in no other way except upon the assumption
that the disease is due to a specific cause;
and the fact that the disease has been
transmitted from animal to animal. month
after month. year after year, from the
very beginning without decreasing in vir1-
lence cannot be accounted for unless 1t is
admitted that the virus is living GERM
Believes He Has Found the Germ.
Memmo OF Rome, says the committee,
furnishes strong proof. asserting almost
positively that he has found the germ. He
believes that Fall Revotta, Ferran and
Spinello have seen the same germ also.
Besides, Nicard and Paul Best showed a
number of years ago that saliva filtered
through plaster lost its virulence-that is,
that the virus was left on the plaster, and.
therefore, most probably germ.
The assertion continues the committee.
that the disease is transmitted almost al
ways by the bite of a rabid animal is based
upon the facts in the case as testified 10 by
any number of witnesses. and the assertion
that IL is transmitted only by incubation
is based upon knowledge, In part Inferred
from analogy, of the nature of the virus,
direct experiment and the absence of any
proof or possibility of proof to the con-
trary. The claim occasionally made by
some that unqualified desires, long depriva-
ton of food or drink. exposure to the in
tense heat of the sun, particularly during
July and August, claiming or muzzling con-
tinuously, will produce the disease in the
dog COR other animal has never been, the
committee claims, substantiated and Is
against the facts in the case dogs have
been made to undergo all these crueltieS
now and then by perhaps overzealous In
vestgators. but always with negative re-
suits. In this connection the committee
states that Surgeon General Sternberg says
that If there is anything definitely settled