The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-08-23
A RELIC OF SUPERSTITION.

Editor Tribune Hydrophobia Is a
virulent and intense Infection Of the
dog. fox. wolf. cat and skunk and is
sometimes communicated to man, ] have
never seen or read of a case in this
country. mean In any OF the valleys
I among the Rocky mountains and Sier-
ras, All rabd dogs are mad, but all
mad dogs are not necessarily rabid.
There are q little more than ten male
dogs Infected to one female. Rabies Is
communicated only by the saliva in con-
,act with cut or abraded wound, and
| the danger OF Infection is greatly less
ened il the victim is clothed the saliva
being spent TO more or less degree on
the clothing.
Il, is impossible for a mad dog to
keep quiet he must wander. he makes
long excursions 1t may be many miles.
flying ut any animal or man he may
meet as If possessed by demons. A mad
dog will often glare into vacancy. then
suddenly collect himself, as from some
horrid dream. with a violent start. jump
TO bis feet. rapidly open and close his
eyes, wrinkle his forehead. snarl and
snap at an imaginary foe or vicously
attack any object, animate or inanimate,
that he can reach or he will gnaw to
shrcds IN offending paw or tear off parts
Of his own body Finally, he gradually
sinks into a state OF paralysis. shown
first as a paraplegia, a Weakness OF the
hind legs, with swaying motion in walk
Ing and by the fall OF the lower jaw,
which permits the escape Of vlscid sail
va, which lie stlll makes frantic efforts
10 detach The dog suffers intense
thirst. which he attempts to allay by
plunging his head in water and tapping
every fluid he meets Including his own
urine. So far from showing aversion OF
water, he rather seeks 1t, and In his
m hor ho
turn from his course"
I have recited sonlo Of the symptoms
OF this dreadful malady that the readers
Of your paper around Salt Lake City
may have Mt this time an intelligent
notion of how hydrophobia manifests IT.
self. and l nave quoted from the high
est and best authority In the world
Persons infected by the bite OF a rabid
dog are driven into commissions By the
presence Of water. and that condition
is In harmony with the meaning OF the
word hydrophobia. The malady mani
tests itself precisely different In the dog
when exposed TO water as above ind-
Gated.
The innate love Of mother for her
offspring. whether human or beast that
suddenly develops when Its Offspring is
in danger whether real or fancied, al
most positively forbids an opinion of
fected with hydropbobla the maternal
instinct. we'll as all the senses spe-
cial and otherwise. would be lost, and
she would destroy them first because
nearer at hand; she would even tear and
wound herself
To destroy an animal after II has bit
ten another, because it would act as n
preventive and a safeguard TO the one
bitten, would be TO copy after the in
cantations, the mysticisms the weird
cabala, OF the dark ages and is not
In harmony with the intelligent thought
OF today. But IL is In perfect keeping
with the days when witches were soused
or burned, according 20 the humor of
the friends of the possessed, or lack of
friends Of the witch In Salem. so we
are told by biographer OF Gov. Carver.
young girl became alarmingly Ill of
a nervous malady. probably hysteria,
and, after she had been under obserya-
tion for while by the learned men of
the town. they came 10 the wise conclu-
sion that the damsel was possessed of
an evil spirit derived from certain
black cat OF the neighborhood and
straightway poor tabby was gravely sen.
fenced TO death by the sages OF Salem.
let us hope by jury of tabby's peers.
To put dog or other animal TO death TO
void of future contingency OF evil is a
long step but a short cry back TO pag-
anism. A. s. CONDON NJ n
Ogden. August 90, 1906