The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-07-18


 itching. The animal in this case bites into its own flesh with apparent pleas- ure and satisfaction. Such animals take food until the disease Is consider ably advanced, if it is something which can be swallowed without mastication; otherwise it is dropped after remaining a short time in the mouth. Difficulty of swallowing is an early symptom, and frequently leads the unsuspecting owner to conclude that the animal has bone in his throat. A dog which ap- pears to have a bone in his throat is on general principles one of the most dangerous animals In existence. The supposed bone may be there, but on the other hand the symptoms which lead to this supposition may be due to par tial paralysis caused by rabies, and the owner may be inoculated with the vir- ulent saliva while thrusting his finger or hand in the dogs mouth to discover bone which has no existence but in his imagination.
 It Is commonly believed that mad dogs have fear of water and are unable to drink. but there could be no greater mistake. In this respect they differ en- tirely from the human patient. They have no fear or dread Of water, but continue to drink until paralysis has progressed so far that they are no longer able to swallow. The fact that a suspected dog is seen to drink or wade into a stream is consequently no evidence that he Is not mad. When the furious symptoms come on, the dog leaves his home and goes upon long chase, with no apparent object in view other than to be travelling onward. He flies at and bites dogs and persons whom he meets, but usually does not apparently search for them, or even no -tice them if they remain quiet. Often after an absence of day or two they return to their home, presenting most forlorn and miserable appearance. Those who have pity for such an ami nal and try to make it clean and conl- fortable are in great danger of being bitten, for the disease has advanced to a point where the delirium of insanity is most marked, and where treacher- ous bite is most common.
 As death approaches the animal be-
 
 stand; the eyes are dull and sunken. and the expression is that of pain and dispair Paralysis appears in the jaws or in the posterior extremities, and ex- tends rapidly to other parts of the body. The animal. being unable to stand, lies extended upon it's side: the respiration becomes more and more difficult; there are spasmodic contrac tions of certain groups of muscles, com- plete prostration and death The ordi- nary course of the disease is four or five days; it may be as short as two days or as long as ten days.
 When the dumb form of the disease Is typical it comes on with restlessness, depression, a tendency to lick objec'e, and paralysis of the muscles which close the jaws. As a consequence of the paralysis the lower jaw drops, the animal Is unable to close the mouth. the tongue hangs out, and an abun- dance Of saliva escapes. The mucous membrane of the mouth becomes dry, dlscolored and covered with dust. The animal remains quiet. does not respond to provocations, and appears to under stand it's helpnessness As Bouley has said, the animal cannot bite and does not desire to bite When dumb rabies follows a period in which the animal has been affected with the furious form, the desire and tendency to bite may be retained even after the jaw is paralyzed. The course of the disease is short, death usually occurring in from two to four days The dumb form of rabies is common and many pei sons know 1t as "droc iaw'' who have no itea of it's true nature.
 There Is no 4rontagfors dIsaase more easily eradcated than rabies As the disease can only arise frotn contagion, and as the contagion is practically al- ways transferred by a bite, and as tho which do the biting arc almost always dogs, it suffices to stop tte doSs from biting for a period sufficient to cover the incubatory stage of the dis tase--that is, for about year-in trdcr to stamp out the malady As a csien- tihc problem. therefore. the eradication os rabies Is a simple matter, but as a r; tactical question, 1t is one O. the most difficult which confronts tha sanitorlan. Ard this difficulty arises ncr from any thing inherent in the work to be accom- plished, but in the opposition of those who own and keep dogs. The meas ures necessary for the e"a 1'eat6n If ral.es are two in numbe': CD De- struction of wo'ihiess, oNrerloss and vagrant dogs; CD efficient mu1:lins of all dogs which appear upol the streets or in public places-D F. Salmon Chief of the Chicago Bureau of Animal Industry, in the Cnicaso T'iouns.