Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1904-04-22
NO HYDRoPHoBIA, HE SAYS.
j. Otis Fellows Willing to Let Mad
Dogs Bite Him.

J. Otis Fellows Willing to Let Mad
Dogs Bite Him.
On his business cards, says corre-
spondent Of the New York Sun, ].
Otis Fellows Of Hornellsville. N. Y,
describes himself thus:
1.-THE oldest spaniel breeder in Amer
lea and never bred crooked leg or
light eye" He adds, "You can't teach
your granny to suck eggs!" He has
been in the dog business for more than
forty years.
These things are here noted to show
that If Mr.. Fellows-or rather Uncle
Dick, to call him by the name by
which he Is best known-declares that
there Is no such thing as hydrophobia,
he has had at least an opportunity Of
studying the question. And he does
make that assertion.
Uncle Dick believes the dog is much
abused and misunderstood. He will not
be convinced that there Is such dis
ease as hydrophobia and challenges the
medical fraternity to produce such a
case. He goes further and expresses
his willingness to allow any dog sup
posed to have hydrophobia to bite him
and all he asks in return Is that his
expenses shall be paid until the wound
heals.
He declares that hydrophobia Is all
imagination and the invention Of ply
sicians and specialists to secure prac-
tice. AS he puts it, 1T is graft"
II have handled twenty thousand
dogs a year and have been bitten hum
dreds Of times, and care no more for
a dog bite than a scratch Of a pin," he
said to the Sun correspondent. Fool
ish and unreasonable periodical scares
have prevailed ever since public at
tention was drawn to Pasteur and his
crank followers twenty years ago.
"This has had a bad effect on the
public mind, magnifying the danger Of
a very rare disease, which Is so slight
that 1t does not deserve public notice.
Many other diseases. such as tetanus.
epilepsy, mania, cerebro-spinal menin-
gifts, have been mistaken for hydro
phobia. Similar symptoms have been
induced in some cases by intestinal
worms, morbid growths and other dis
turbing causes.
IT know, Of course, that dog with
collie or earache or toothache or worms
or epileptic fits is always called mad
dog. A callow reporter sees or hears
Of the case and under a scare heading
he manages to do lot Of harm, but
you may rest assured that there never
was a genuine cases Of rabies In
America.
Some years ago the American Ken
mel club had committee appointed to
investigate hydrophobia,, and they re-
ported just as I say. Whenever hear
of any city with a lot Of mad dogs I
offer to let the worst specimen they
can procure bite me, just to prove that
the dog is not mad None has yet ac-
cepted my offer.
"The health department in some
cities keeps a lot Of guinea pigs, as
they say, for the purpose Of finding
out whether a dog dies Of rabies or
not. If dog bites a person the dog
is killed and a portion Of the brain Is
extracted. This is injected into the
body Of guinea pig.
"Of course, the pig dies, suffering In
tense agony, and the person who was
bitten is sent to the Pasteur institu-
ton for treatment. Would not the
blister and force pump treatment be
better and cheaper? 1t is my inven-
tion and I give any city or persons
permission to use it.
II think the Society for the Preven-
ton Of Cruelty to Animals should pros
ecute every health department that
practices such acts Of cruelty on
guinea pigs.
LET me tell you Of case that shows
how people who have been bitten by
dog act and how easily they are cured.
We will call him Mr.. H., for that is
his correct initial.
HE is a man who weighs 220 pounds
and is feet 2 inches tall, perfect
specimen Of manhood. One day he
was teasing dog, which bit him on
the cheek.
"The papers had just been publish
ing a lot about rabid dogs. The man
was badly frightened, and his friends
made him worse.
1.-THE first thing to do was to kill the
dog. I was paid S. to kill him. J. took
the dog and my rifle, put the dog in
the barn, fired off the rifle and earned
my fee.
1.-THE man got worse, and drank a
lot of whisky to keep up his courage.
The ninth day he was a very sickman.
Then he began to bark and growl,
would bite his lips and froth at the
mouth, just as they told him he would.
His doctor and I knew he was only
shamming. During his lucid periods
we told him that the only way to save
his life was to draw the poison out Of
his system. He said for us to do any
thing to save him from horrible
death by hydrophobia.
I'VE had a large force pump taken
to his room. The doctor gave him an
opiate; we cleared the room, and put
blister all over his back; worked the
pump to make a big noise and washed
a piece of liver in q big washbowl.
when the man woke up we show
ed him in the washbowl all the poison
we had taken out Of his system with
the force pump. He did not bark again
nor did he sleep on his back for two