Middletown transcript. [volume] (Middletown, Del.) 1868-current, 1905-06-03
written for TIE TRANscRffr. J
HYDROPHoBIA


In view of the fact that genuine mad
dog has been at large in our community
and, at least, two persons are known to
have been bitten, have consented, at
the request of number of citizens, to
offer for publication the following, hop
ing that may thus assist in restricting
as much as possible the further spread
of this dreaded disease.
Hydrophobia, meaning the 'dread OF
water" and more correctly termed rabies,
is an acute, infectious'diseasew which occurs
chiefly in the dog. All animals, how
ever, are susceptIt lie and It is communica-
BILE by incubation to man. 1t is nearly
always transmitted through the bite OF a
rabid animal by which the poison Is
directly inoculated into the circulation
and thus conveyed to the brain and
spinal cord. The specific virus of rabies
according to Pasteur, is always present
in the flesh saliva, the | loo |, the spinal
cord and the BRAIN Only limited num-
Der OF those bitten by rabid animals be-
come affected by the disease.
The period OF incubation, that is, the.
time elapsing from the incubation until
tile first appearance Of the disease, is
extremely variable. In man, it is usually
from fourteen to sixty days, and, oeea-
sionally, from three to twelve months.
After the termination of the incubation
period during which the person who has
been bitten feels perfectly well, and the
wound has healed, the initial symptoms
appear. The stage of excitement lasts
two or three days and is followed by the
paralytic stage which terminates in death
in from twelve to twenty-four hours.
Until very recently no certain cases OF
recovery from true hydrophobia have been
known.
The preventative treatment of hydro
phobia is striking example OF the great
benefits that have resulted from labora-
tory experiments. When taken in time
in most instances it successfully combats
the malady. This benifcent discovery
is due to the illustrious Frenchman, Pas
teur. He discovered the remarkable fact
that the virus can be attenuated by keep
ing If emulsions are made from the
brain Of hydrophobic rabbits dead from
three to fourteen days series of atten-
uated preparations of the virus will be
obtained in a convenient form. Those
obtained from rabbits longest dead are
the weakest
Patients are first injected with the
virus OF rabbit fourteen days dead,
and then daily with virus Of increasing
strength, until the brain three days old
is employed. This treatment affords an
immunityto the disease, andthe protection
lasts from ten to twenty years. Statistics
show that Of the patients treated by Pas
tours protective incubation more than
SO per cent. are cured. Institutions for
carrying on this method of treatment
have been established in various parts
OF the world.
In view, therefore, OF these results, and
of the great danger of the possible deyel-
opment Of hydrophobia in a person bitten
by an animal suffering from rabies, and
the utter hopelessness attending the
progress of such an attack, | wish to
emphasize the following conclusions
Few, if any cases of hydrophobia in
man recover if the disease is allowed to
develop. Preventive measures are the
means Of reducing the frequency Of the
disease, and, are of the greatest import
ance.
2.-When person is bitten by labid
animal construction should at once be
applied above and below the wound if
possible, and the wound should be thor
oughly disinfected, and excised or cauter-
lied and dressed antiseptically.
3.-The patient should then be dis
patched to a Pasteur Institute without
loss of time. The earlier the treatment
is begun the greater are the chances Of
cure.
All dogs, and other animals bitten
or in any way exposed to the disease
should be killed Immediately and buried.
5.-All dogs in the neighborhood should
be kept muzzled or chained for at least
three months from date of exposure.
G. B. p.