The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-06-21

A cord removed at the end of forty eight hours is just a shade less infee- tive than it was when taken from the carcass. A cord removed at the end of fifteen days has lost it's power of infection entirely.
 The process of immunization con- sists in fortifying the human patient, during the period of incubation, with inoculatlons of virus of gradually in- creasing activity. On the first day of the treatment the patient is in oculated with an emulsion from fif- teen day cord. This being practical ly inert, does not injure him.
 Next day he gets an injection of a thirteen day cord. Then as a man vaccinated develops an exceedingly mild attack of cowpox, just so this hy- drophobia patient develops an ex- ceedingly mild and harmless variety of rabies, It is so mild, indeed, that he doesn't notice it. He may go about his business and mingle with his fel- lows as If nothing were wrong with him.
 On the third day there follows an injection of the eleven day cord, which contains the hydrophoba organisms in pretty healthy condition. But the thirteen day cord has produced a cer- tain immunity already and the patti snt does not grow ill On successive days injections are made of emulsions of more and more active cords.
 Finally the patient receives an in- jeetion from a forty-eight hour cord. If he had received it in the first 1t would have killed him out of hand, but by this time his body has acquired a gradually increasing power of resist ance to the hydrophobia organism. In brief, he has been vaccinated against rabies.
 Following that to make doubly sure that he is safely immunized, series of emulsions from five, four and three day cords are injected, until twenty one days have elapsed Then the patti ent is beyond all danger. The organ isms introduced into his system when he was bitten by his dog have been fought and routed,
 And is this treatment absolutely eff fective? There need be no hesitation in answering the question with an un- qualified affirmative. There is no dis ease so certainly fatal as hydrophoba and none so easy to circumvent.
 Since 1886, when Pasteur made known the results of his investigations, fully 10000 persons have received the treat ment, and in every case where it was applied intelligently and within a req sonable time, and there wcro no com plcations or other handicaps. complete immunlzation has followed. True enough, there are occasional reports of deaths at Pasteur hospitals, but it will be found upon inquiry that in every such case the patient reached the hos pital too late or his wounds were seri- ous enough to kill him in themselves or there was some interruption or other accident in the treatment.
 A person bitten by an animal sus- pected of being mad should begin treatment as soon as possible. Immun ization may be obtained, it is true, even when the first inoculation is made as late as the fifteenth day, but it is best not to test science to the breaking point.
 If the animal that has bitten the pa tient is a dog it should be captured and penhed up for observation. If it really has rabies it will die within five days, wth the familiar and unmistakablc 
 If, on the other hand it is a cat, skunk or any other animal 1t should be killed at once and it's head and spin Il cord sent off to some Pasteur hospi- tai for immediate examination. This is because the disease lasts so lcng in the last named animals that valuable time might be lost waiting for them to die,
 The patient himself should have his wound or wounds cauterlzed with fum- ng nitric acid, Experiments show that this acid is sufficient in itself to pre- vent the development of the disease in a great many cases.
 The hydrophobia organism passes in- to the body not through the blood but the nerves. Cauterization, in may be delayed until here are facilities at hand to make it sure. The old idea that to be effective t must be done within an hour is no onger held.
 After his wound has been dressed the | patient may wait for evidence that the animal that bit him really suffered from | 'abies If it was dog and he has it un- Ter observation the death throes of the | beast will soon afford ample proof If | { was some other animal and he has lilled it and sent its brain or spinal ord to some Pasteur hospital for ex- he will receive a report in a ew days.
 Once convinced that he has been tn- 'cGlated he should proceed to the hos )ital immediately and begin the course if treatment. In case the animal has scaped, and there is in consequence no 1 ossibility of determining whether it rad rabies or not, it is best to take the reatment at a venture.