The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-08

rrent for treatment after being bitten
by dogs, cats, horses. cows, pigs and
other animals. In many cases the AMI
NAL which caused the bites has been
demonstrated beyond doubt to have
been rabid. both by microscopic exam
ination of the brain and by the inocu-
Iation of rabbits, and the question has,
sometimes arisen as to where the ami
NAL in question contracted the malady.
To this DIR. Kierle has but on answer
that it was undoubtedly bitten by
some other animal that was suffering
from hydrophobia.
Within the past week two patients
have been brought to Baltimore to take
the Pasteur course as the result OF bites
from supposedly rabid horses report
er of the American asked DR.. Kierle
If il were not possible that these horses
had contracted rabies from physical or
mental conditions peculiar to the beast,
from overwork, illness, or any other
cause, and a positive answer in the
negative was given. Not only in the
case of horse, but in the case Of a
dog. Dr. Kierle contends that 1t is i'm
possible for rabies to be self-contract-
ed. ga
DR.. Kierle talked quite Interestingly
along this line as follows:
rabies may very readily be COM
q case of smallpox you can invariably
by research establish connection with
another case of the disease. So 1t is
with rabies, for unless a dog or some
other animal is bitten by a rabid AMI
NAL it cannot contract rabies. A dog
may be bitten by q fox, a rat, a cat, or
any animal with the nlalady and con-
tract it, and the same way with a
horse or COW. The possibility of self
T. Ia &c. - - I'll
in the nature of an impossibility.
Should have a board in which there
were hundred depressions and held
in my hand hundred peas, each sep
arately marked and then threw them
on the board they would separate and
form a certain condition of position.
Should take those peas up and throw
them for an ordinary lifetime they
might not again fall into exactly the
same position. That is about the likeli-
hood Of an animal getting rabies with
out being bitten by a rabid animal.
Certain combinations of conditions in
the system might produce the disease.
but the chance is so slight that II Is
not worth discussing"
with such the case, were all ami
mails isolated and kept apart, hydro
phobia would speedily become extinct.
would it not?" was asked.
Yes" said DR.. Kierle. and were
dogs kept muzzled all the year round
cases Of true rabies would be very
much more scarce than at present. In
England where such a law is in force,
rabies has become almost extinct
Every dog that enters the country is
kept in quarantine for a certain length
of time to see whether or not it has
hydrophobia, and then the owner is re-
ouired to muzzle it,"
DR.. Kierle does not believe in the
general theory that dogs so mad in the
hot period oftener than in the cold
weather. He says that the weather con-
ditions have practically no effect. or
course, in hot weather. dog may be-
come i'll and tormented will show
signs of excitement and distress, which
is often taken for hydrophobia. A dog
which has been abused, or which is i'll,
may run about frothing at the mouth
and attacking persons whom IL meets.
but unless It has been bitten by rabid
animal, DR.. Kierle holds, II is not suf-
fering from hydrophobia.