The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-04-17

lief in mad-stones. Dogs known to be at
fected with hydrophobia viii lap water
until the muscles of the throat become
| paralyzed and they will also swim a
stream.
Hydrophobia is among the first dis
eases of which we have authentic ac-
counts. 1t is mentioned in the writings
Of Aristotle as early as 326 B. c. He
said: Dogs suffer from madness which
puts them in a state of fury and all of the
animals which they bite while in this con-
dition become also attacked by rabies
With the exception of the middle ages,
reference TO hydrophobia is made by
writer's from the time OF Aristotle to the
present day and as early as 1880, we find
it matter of record that the disea Sc can
be transmitted by wolves 70 man. The
disease is very common among the wolves
of France, Austria and Germany, and the
terrible loss of life, especially in France,
probably led Pasteur, the great French
scientist, to study the disease and finally
to devise means of preventing hydro
phobia in a person who has been bitten
by a rabid dog or wolf.
During recent years there has been
cal profession to deny the existence of
such a disease as hydrophobia. Call the
disease what you will, and hydrophobia
is as good a name any; there is such
a disease prevalent and ii can be trans
mitted to cattle, horses, sheep, dogs, and
man, by the bite of dog or wolf that has
the disease. 1t is more prevalent during
certain seasons Of the year, especially
during the summer season, but it is pres
ent TO some extent at all seasons of the
year.
1t is no wonder that any one who has
seen the mad dog at large would pin
their faith to any remedy that was Of
fered in order to try and prevent the aw-
full condition of madness from coming
on. 1t was a last straw, a forlorn hope.
and the survival of this practice is still
prevalent, as every summer we read ac-
counts Of people applying the maidstone
to the bites of dogs that are supposed to
be mad Pasteur, the great French sci
enlist, perfected a plan of treatment
that will prevent hydrrphobia from de-
veloping in very large per cent of those
bitten by rabid animals, but there is no
treatment that will cure after the disease
actually sets in. 1t can be prevented by
the right kind of treatment, but cannot
be cured, and the treatment is carried
out along exact scientific lines and not
by applying maidstone. There are
plenty of instances where people have
been bitten through the clothing and no
harm ever came of it, as the teeth of a
cog are partially cieansed in passing
through the clothing, but when severely
bitten on the face, or hands, the disease
is apt to develop and the best thing to
do when bitten at all on any part of the
body by a dog known to be mad is TO
seek some other treatment besides the
maidstone. Not all of the dogs killed
on account of supposed hydrophobia have
the disease, and it is a mistake to kill a
dog that is suspected of hydrophobia es-
pecially if any one has been bitten by
1t. better plan is to keep the dog I'M
der observation for few days and if the
animal has hydrophobia it will be easily
told from the symptoms, and. if not. then
the anxiety and worry viii be avoided |
Fortunately the disease does not develop
in man until several weeks have elapsed I
usually from five to eight, the average
period in man being forty days In a (
few cases the disease has been known to
develop after six or eight months and
very rarely after a year
Many believe that dogs are more apt to
go mad during dog days than at any 9TH |
er time. The term dog days refers to
the time that the dog STAR Sirius is
above the horizon with the sun and is
usually recorded from July third to Aug
ust eleventh inclusive. Dogs are no
more apt to go mad during this time
than at other seasons of the year. but
the belief is generally prevalent and the /
effect is seen in many places where city |
ordinances require the dogs 10 be muzzled |
during this time
Rabies in the dog is seen in two types, |
the furious and the paralytic forms. 1t /
is the furious type that IS the most dan |
gerous as the animal goes on long excur-
sions and il is while in this condition that /
other animals or persons coming in con- /
tact with him are bitten AS first sign
of the disease the disposition Of the dog |
is changed, he is easily excited and is |