The Wichita daily eagle., 1903-04-19


sition to know as much about this di-
| sease as any one, which really amount:
to nothing as regards it's crusations ol
any treatment for it.
I'VE only know Of the dread disease
| what the post-mortem reveals. but no.
thing as to what gives rise to it or how
to master it. But we do know that 1t is
| transmitted from one dog TO another, IN
| oculation taking place through bite
| DR.. Pasteur, ! believe, by his swstey oil
] inoculation, could give immunity from hy-
drophobia to dogs, but l don't think his
treatment wholly successful with humans
1 have a very high regard for Dr. Pas
| teur's memory, and ! believe much credit
is due him for attempting a work in which
he was not altogether successful
1T is well known that many who peo-
pie have undergone the Pasteur treat
ment who had never been bitten by really
rabid dogs. These cases recover, though
statistics show that of the number OF
people bitten by truly mad dogs the per-
centage of deaths resulting is below q
per cent
There sometimes occurs in human what
is known as false hydrophobia. condition
produced entirely by nervous fear There
is an old theory that one has but to i'm
agine he has a disease TO produce its
symptoms. 1t has never come to my
knowledge that truly mad dog has been
killed in the streets of New York, though
there have been scores of dogs ruthless
~ slaughtered through ignorance.
1T is customary when a dog is taken
with fit or convulsion to raise the cry
Of ha nj
nal is demanded Fits or convuIsions
arise from many causes, such as nervous
excitement, acute indigestion, becoming
overheated or associated with some di-
sease such as distemper. In most cases
little Intelligent treatment will cure
the animal and allow him to enjoy life
for a number of years to his own setis-
faction and pleasure of his master.
Il think there have been many cases
where people have died of convulsions
diagnosed as hydrophobia when these con-
vulSions may have been produced by al
coholism or other causes. Before closing
this brief and hurriedly written article
wish to say the public need have no
fear Of hydrophobia. One case of hydro
phobia in twenty years, and that in dog,
is not a very high average"
DR.. II. d. GIL, of the Health Depart
ment, said of the increase of rabies:
Rabies is relatively more common in
New York because dogs are very numer-
Gus, and if suitable regulations are not
adopted and enforced the disease will
surely increase and the health of the peo-
pie will be threatened.
BY their loose methods the Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
may be accessory to the spread of rabies.
1T is high time that this very serious
dog question should be taken out of the
hands of private corporations, whose only
care seems to collect license fees, and
place 1t properly belongs-under the muni-
cipa1 control of the Health Department -
DR.. Park, Bacteriolosist of New York
Health Department, when told by a re-
porter for the Sunday World about the
discovery by Prof. Sormagni, declared that
If turned out to be what the professor
claimed for it, it would go far toward
solving the great problem of the cause
and cure of rabies.
I'VE have at present" he said, ten or
twelve dog-bitten patients here in the
Willard Parker Hospital undergoing
treatment
the disease has once developed All we
can do is to give such patients opiates
and ease their path to the end"