The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-04
DIAGNOSIS OF RABIES.
Two Forms of the Disease, the Furi-
Gus and the Dumb.
From the Medical Record.

From the Medical Record.
DR.. d. E. Salmon of the bureau of
animal industry writes on this SUBJ
Year Book" just issued, and after re-
ferring to it's continuous increase in
the United States, speaks of the diff
ficulty in recognizing the nature of the
malady. On this point he says that
there are two forms of rables-the fu-
rious and the dumb. In the former,
the animal is irritable and aggressive,
and bites nearly every object that
comes in its way: in the latter, the
muscles of the jaw are paralyZed al
most from the first appearance of
symptoms, and, being unable to bite
the animal remains more quiet and
tranquil. In both forms the disease is
the same and the saliva is equally
deadly.
The dogs with dumb rabies are less
dangerous, solely because, their jaw
muscles being paralyzed. they are I'M
able to bite. The difference in the two
forms of the disease is due to the
greater rapidity of the development of
symptoms in dumb rabies. Every case
of furious rabies eventually turns to
dumb rabies, for paralysis of the Jaw
is one of the final symptoms.
What is called the drop jaw form"
is when the symptom appears on the
first day of the disease instead of after
an interval of two, three or more days,
and in the case of furious rabies. The
symptoms of furious rabies appear
very gradually. The animal appears
restless, and is very apt to become
more affectionate than usual, fawning
and licking the hands or face of it's
master as though seeking sympathy
and aid. This is a particularly dan
gerous demonstration, for if there is
the slightest abrasion of the skin there
is almost a certainty of innoculation.
There are many instances in which
hydropffobia has been impaired to HUI
man beings in this way Another very
dangerous symptom is when the dog
apparently has bone in its throat and
is unable to swallow. This simply
means that paralysis has set in. The
saliva at this period is very virulent
and may persons have caught the dis
ease by putting their hands in dogs
mouth to relieve it from the supposed
bone. The fierce biting and swapping
at everything which eventually deevl-
ops into furious rabies is merely the
result of the delirium.
DR.. Salmon declares that the popular
belief that a mad dog breads water is
fallacy; and he also disputes the
truth of the universally credited opin-
ion that the disease occurs only in the
hot season. He brings forward Stats
tics to show that there is little or no
difference in the prevalence of the dis
ease between summer an dwinter. He
explains the well-known fact that the
development of hydrophobia after in
incubation varies in time from seven
days to twelve months and longer by
the theory that the virus must reach
the brain and spinal cord, and the ba-
cilli multiply there before the whole
system is infected and that the virus
of rabies does not spread through the
system so quickly as many other forms
of infection. Another reason for this
delay is probably to be found in the
greater susceptibility of different indi-
Viduals, and in the condition of their
blood
AS a means of protection, DR.. Salmon
advises the destruction of wandering,
worthless dogs, and the enforcement of
a law providing for the muzZling or
leading by a chain of the respectable
members of the dog community. If
these precautions could be considerable
ly enforced the writer believes that
hydrophobia would be an extinct dis
ease in a comparatively short time.
His contention is certainly supported
by the results obtained in cities, both
here and in other countries, in which
muzzling has been insisted upon. .