The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-11
.THED0GPBRI IN NEW YORK.
,TWO D0cTORs URGE THE KILLING
or ALI, STRAY Ours.

Ola - Them the Clty's Expert on Rabies
He Says the Disease Il spreading
H1pidly-You Can't Tell When . Dos
Has lt-Adstce 10 Bitten Persons.
Or! William r. Pryor OF a West Eighty
fourth streSt has written letter to THE Sun
In which he declares that II would be better
for the city to revert to the old system
offSoensed dog oatohers. bad as It was.
than 20 continue to depend on the efforts
Of the Society for the Prevention OF Cruelty
to Animals 70 keep the streets free from
unlicensed dogs.
The principal dificulty under the present
system. he argues. 10 that the society has
no motive to look after the ownerless dogs.
and there Ii whore the greatest danger
from rabies lies.
AS understand it, writes DR.. Pryor.
'the society receives a portion OF the fine
imposed upon the owner OF any dog who
has not secured O license. II 10 manifestly
Improbable TO arrest ownerless dogs.
The community at large has begun to be-
lieve that commendable as has been the
work OF this society In the past. 1t has at
least been recfeant to its obligations TO the
community In this one regard. Not only
does this neglect tend TO the spread Of
rabies. but even casual observer can see
in any vacant lot evidences OF the rapid
increase In the mongrel dogs Of the city
DR.. Pryor also says that II the society
isn't able TO perform the police function Of
gathering up the stray dogs Il should admit
the fact and delegate that function to the
city. In that opinion he il backed up by
H. Oil 10 haz rta14 81 al
department of the Board Of Health, the
oity's expert on rabies.
rabies m becoming more and moro
prevalent IN this city every year. said Dr..
Cabot yesterday, .and the city government
should do something to stamp 1t out. We
We the law, but II isn't enforced. and there
have not yet been enough lives lost TO
arouse public opinion into demanding
reform
London has had it's experience. One
hundred and twenty-seven persons died
OF rabies there In a single year, and there
were thousands Of cases among the dogs.
After that year the authorities woke up
and did something. Every owperless dog
in the city was killed. Every other dog was
put under strict quarantine for six weeks
and was watched from time to time for ak
months. Az result the rabies was stamped
out In London.
We should do the same thing In this city.
The capture and merciful destruction Of
ownefiess dogs that run wild In the ct reefs
and breed mongrels by the hundreds should
be daily duty performed under the direc-
ton OF the city. In some parts OF the town
you can find a score Of such dogs In half
.The Bergh society does not do the work
II caters too much to the false sentiment
which says; Don't kill the poor little doggy
and forgets the more important life OF the
poor little child. The society Is active on
the dog question only on the LIST Of May,
when licenses are due, and then 1t ignores
the dogs which have no owners to collect
from.
the ownerless dogs and then compel all
the owners TO keep their dogs In leash and
muzzled fol-. six months. we will get nd Of
the danger
40 70 the treatment that should follow
the bite Of c aSE Dot foHs s sad that tSs i9o
portance Of cauterization.
The wound he said, sshould be hrst
surgically clearsed and then cauterized
With nitric acid. The sooner the better, Of
but St,s any IA, time met xtsn f0ryeshs
.Some people make the mistake Of think
ing that II the wound is not cauterized
at once the precaution may a. well be
omitted Thai Is a. great mistake. The
poison ls not carried through the system
BY the blood. but by the nervous system,
and It remains localized from twenty-four
to forty Ell ght hours before 1t Is distributed
at all. The treatment with virus, OF course.
should follow.
Another popular mistake il that dogs
are most subject to rabies in summer. The
heat has nothing TO do with it. Dogs may
have fits in the summer and froth at the
mouth, but there Ia no danger In that.
Another thing not generally known
10 that the form Of rabies In a dog which
manifests itself by the furious antics Of
the beast Ia the unusual form. There are
many more dogs with rabies which are
practically paralyzed, and make no dem
onstration Their bite Is just as dangerous
a. that OF the dog readily recognized as
mad, and they are the more dangerous
because unsupported.
The extent OF the wound makes no differ
ence. II Ia the place that should be taken
first into consideration. A bite on the face
ia the most dangerous. and II should not be
ignored even II 1t Is considered az a mere
scrstoh.'
Over in Brooklyn there Is an anti-license
movement, and John o. Farrell, dog owner
Of <0s Bergen street. 70 going. TO make Q
test case In the courts. He has retained
Assistant District Attorney Robert H. Elder
70 zee II he can be compelled to pay license
fee to the American Society Tor the Pre-
Al - Al.