New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-05-25
LITTLE DANGER OF NEUROLOGICAL
Growth OF Fear of the Disease-Many Mis-
takes About Dogs Made.
70 lie Edf;or OF rae Tribune.

To The Edi;or OF The Tribune.
Sir: Much has been written lately 10 the press
regarding the great danger from the prevalence of
'by6rophobia' IN New-York City and elsewhere.
and much Of the same tenor win doubtless be
written before tire season Is far advanced VIII
you allow -ne brief space FOR few ideas on this
subject.
In the first place If there De any one point ahso-
luely certain and established Il is that the dan
ger of getting the above disease has been greatly
Exaggerated and that the great majority OF al
legged cases OF not ouiy 'hydrophoSia' in man, but
also rabies" the dog, have been cases Of soma
other disease 1t IS also easy 10 see whence comes
the influence causing this dread and delusion The
year following the opening Of the first Pasteur
Institute in Paris, liz 1855. the number OF hydro
phobia" patients treated in that city leaped to
three thousand previous IL that Paris could boast
OF only about thirty eases year, True hydro
phobia' is a disease 50 rare that it IS not eonsid-
cred worth mentioning in mortality reports wen
known medical Investigators who have been search-
ing for many years for authentic cases have talled
10 find one Such are DR.. Lutaud of Paris; Dr.
Beu-TayIor Of England; DR.. Charles W. Dulles. Oh
Philadelphia; Dr. Z c Spitzka. of NevS-fork Pro-
lessor J. W Hearn OF Philadelphia; Dr.. Hiram
Corson and Dr.. Thomas Mayo. It is q notorious
fact that all the world. societies and inst1tu-
lions thas have She handling Of thousands OF
vicious dogs. frequently biting their keepers never
hear Of the disease
But spurious cases. caused by nervous dread. are
common As III the case of Nine Chevalier, OF Paris
instances have occurred. from suggestion alone.
where the patient has not been bitten at ALI Sach
cases II injustice to say. are the produce OK
the morbid fear disseminated and fostered by Pas
teur Institutes These concerns do great ousi-
ness throughout the world. But on what basis
have before me a record. carefully revised from
year to year. which shows that up 70 January
of the present year 1857 deaths from hydroPno0a
have occurred among patients who have undergone
the 'Pasteur treatment according to drectlohs, -
ruany of which cases the animal which did the ON
ing remained alive and well! In this record names
dates and other particulars are given
The Pasteur method depends FOR its ooalrnerci @i
success on the most colossal pretensions ana as
tortion 81 facts ard figures Among rs paue4lE
are numbered those bitten BY rani1 dogs AL
those bitten by animals only suspected Again
dogs are otter found" 70 have been rabid oy post
nnortern examination and by inoculatins otner al,
mails with portions Of their brain or spinal cora
both Of which methods denounced as tncone'U-
sive by leading scientists. such as Dr.. conn, o.
AIfo-t and Professor Fleming, Of England Many
substances such as common soap, when lnocula'so
into animals produce meningitis the symptoms u
which are almost Identical with those Of raoles
Surgeon General Sternberg has even produced THESE
symptoms in rabbits with his own SALIVA! more
over il is well known that, with no treatment
VIVA tever from 90 TO IS per cent OF those bitten oY
ac+uaIlv .-rabid" dogs recover. All these facts
tend to show that the statistics OF the FastsU
Institutes" are absolutely farcicaL and as con-
sequence they are rdculed BY every leading Sc1 s
who charge them with actually causing hEG s5
17rObiar many tents by their
diseased animal matter This perntctous ara nost
dangerous principle of deliberately introducing lnIo
RE life current septic matter from ra DID animals
las w3tno1e e%II c or Ia borarory rabies
in patients The late Dr.. Michel Peter. tne great
est Clinical expert Of France, said: FaSJeur goes
not prevent hydrophobia: he gives Il rms op Pm
ion was Endorsed by such sClenttnc leaders as "
= n DoIan r G. S: Sir Benjamin " ARD ttlcn-
srIson DR. Charles Be'l-Tay Ter surgeon GENERA
Charles Gordon. o. England anq 5roieSSTt ~
1-1ir---f1-rhfef Of the Journal &c Medicine &c
Paris" 50 id in that journal on September 10 Lsss
referring 70 the savans al tne FStstSu ms - ez;
They have not diminished the NOR IHeS 81
ha ve auEueuted Il, in Iing che rnaCiess -
Laboratories very often fatat VIZ TIisn @n'
have noculated gEs2t nToer q n man has been
,,fcibusly exaggerated, has been that OF races
in the dog Il is safe TO say that at ISaI = az
rnent heat prostration fits; thirst stomach troGo.e
aniIeusv or similar affections. \ cog N,th I1S
"a hes does not froth the mouth neltnef a9e9
he % out of his way attack. but gives every II
Sy,s+jo9 ~ wishing to be let alone These facts
Tov-e[-ar have no weight with some people, whose
srrorance and bgotry regarding our reiatlonso to
Sne oT Me- IFa Of one child IS worth al the dogs
- +La world" another would have all the ooEs N
the state muZzed account or ore case or g.
legged 'ra hes" Man SPENDS MS hLe IN ao"s s1-
sooth If some Unfortunate mem per OF tIaI spcS
most faithful wild with ~ tree 80.
80 T;fi+her beset BY ina gnary foes. then Aah
5oEFIIry esfzes the opportunity TO attack the SUI
faTsr With every convenient veap pom as IN
DAYS under IKE conditions. he treateo nls ..
rSa1i And then II bitten by his victim. ne resorts
70 an .'institute" founded and perpetua,lhg Iie
horrible slfferngs OF artIdcially naddenea creat-
constantly kept hand. whether uses, or nGes
whose poisoned tissues he absorbs INTO ms e.
ton as an antidote- Is not TINS s2RSFETEs
gods and mem - . NJ IN
n Nav 1903