Evening star., 1902-03-04
DIED @HYDR0P H0B|A
Doctors Unanimous in Case
Of Mary johnson.
so REVEALED
PATIENT.WAS VIOLENT AND WAS
STRAPPED TO BED.
Unable to Take Liquids and Suffered
Great Agony-Search for
Dog.

Mary Johnson. the colored woman who
was taken from her home, 13 Liberty
street. to the Freedmans Hospital yester-
day afternoon suffering from unmistakable
symptoms Of hydrophobia, died there at
O'Clock this morning. after having endur-
ed great agony. At the autopsy, held late
this afternoon, the physicians were unani-
nous in the opinion that death was due
to hodrophobia. There was found oedema
of the brain, a congested condition that is
always manifest in cases Of that disease.
The woman throughout the time that she
was In the hospital was unable to swal-
low any liquid and it was with the utmost
difficulty that medicines were administered.
During the night she was violent and 1t be-
came necessary to strap her to the bed.
Although the health department has
been unable to find a dog suffering from
the rabies in the neighborhood where the
woman is said to have been attacked, DR..
w. Z. woodward, the health officer. Is con-
hdent that the case was one of undoubted
hydrophobia. A dog answering to the de-
scription given by the woman was found
In the neighborhood, the property Of a
policeman This dog is not rabid. and is
said to have never shown any signs of
raoies. DR.. Woodward says that dog
with rabies would not have lived this long
so ne does not believe the dog now identi-
fled is the one that attacked Mary John
son.
Woman Badly Bitten.
When DR.. Woodward was informed yes
terday afternoon that the case at Freed
mans Hospital had developed symptoms
OF hydrophobia, and the attending physi-
clan had given it as his opinion that the
case was unquestonably one Of that dread
4,
investigation. He called at the hospital
and learned all the facts connected with
the history Of the case. 1t appears that
the woman was bitten Saturday, February
cerntble on her right wrist, and in two
places on the forehead above the eye. 1t
usually requires six weeks for rabies to
develop in a human being, but DR.. Wood
ward accounts for lie quicker results In
this case from the fact that one Of the
bites was Immediately over the eye an
probably penetrated the large optic nerve,
thus being quickly and almost directly car
ried into the brain
The patient in her lucid moments said,
as she had rdone before being taken to the
hospital, that she had been attacked while
walking in the teighbOrhood Of 18th and
dog as black collie and said the animal
sprang upon her without provocation. DR..
Woodward. fdoesD not believe that dog
would thus have attacked the woman un-
less he was SuI1erlnS from the disease.
The black collie dog, located by the health
| office as stated, Is docile animal end has
never been known to have bitten anyone.
Wounds We're Cauterized.
When the woman was bitten she imme-
| diately wont to the Children's Hospital
nearby and the wounds were carefully
cauterized.' - No i'll effects Of the animal
bites We're fek by the woman until three
weeks after the attack. Saturday night
last she complained OF having a headache
| and feeling bad generally Sunday night
her illness became more pronounced. DR..
Hubbard Gillette was called in. 1t is said
| that he suspected hydrophobia from the
| first, but did not intimate such a thing.
Again during Sunday night DR.. Gillette
was called in, and Sunday morning the
| woman was taken to Freedman's Hospital
| death this morning. She was dellriouS
most of the time she was at the hospital
When she was herself she complained Of
pains in the chest and ShortneSS Of breath.
| When the doctor touched her wounds she
| declared they were all right and it was not
| the bites that were hurting her. but the
| trouble was in her chest. The woman is
said to have never had any fear Of hydro
| phobia. and the doctors do not put any
| faith in the statements made that the dis
ease is sometimes purely the result of i'm
! agination. They declare that in this case
| at any rate, there was absolutely no imagi-
nation. q
Had No Fear of Going Mad.
Before going to the hospital the woman
was advised by some Of her friends to con-
suit a physician concerning the bites. She
secuted the idea that anything serious
would result. anu said she had absolutely
| no fear Of "going mad" No one of the
attending physicians. including the hos
pital staff. suggested hydrophobia to the
| woman. and she did not suggest it to any
| One
| Dr. Woodward says that he learned she
was ordinarily quiet woman, without the
| slightest trace of nervousness in her make
| up. She did not have fear of water, as Is
popularity supposed to be the case In all
| hydrophObia cases In the advanced stages
Of the disease. All the same. she was un-
| able to drink water or any other liquid, on
| account Of the spasms in her muscles, and
was unable to take long breath because
Of the spasms Of the muscles of Inspiration
| In the last stages of the disease the wo-
| man was extremely nervous and tossed
about on her bed in great agony apparently
| The doctors were unable to hold her hands
| or to feel her pulse. DR.. Woodward de-
| clared that the disease resembled nothing
| else than hydrophobia. The symptoms
were those common to no other disease
| than the one mentioned.
Experiments Will Be Made.
| After visiting the woman at the hospital
twice, DR.. Woodward sought to find some
| trace of the dog in the case. The black
collie above referred to, belonging to a
policeman. was located. and number OF
| people in the vicinity declared that he must
| have been the dog. The animal was ex-
amined and Was found to be in perfect
health and not khe least bit vicious Pound
master Ein,sfseins also examined the dog and
pronounced himyhealthy.
DR.. WoodFard. hopes to be able to make
| some experiments with rabbits from the
tissues obtained at the autopsy this after
noon. and f Is. said that in this manner a
true know1fage ef the disease will be OBJ
| tanned. Ths experiments will necessarily
occupy FROM tuxedo three weeks. Dr. Wood
ward succeeded In preventing the embam-
| ing Of the body until the autopsy could be
| held. About four years ago young man
named Sprfngman died in this city from
| what was saidztg be hydrophobia. On ac-
| count Of the immediate embalming Of the
body no teste c9Ald be made
REpA1RfrH FLOOD DAMAGE.
Railroadasin fVfcinitv NJ Cumharland