Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1907-10-11
Hydrophobia Real Disease,

4
Hydrophobia is real disease, germ gen.
Grated and infectious, despite all contentious
to the contrary. Such Is the conclusion
reached by the government scientist at Be-
thesda farm, an experiment station of the
Department of Agriculture in this county,
at which place many strange experiments
have been tried during the past summer
with the idea of finally settling the much.
mooted question.
In two instances mad dogs have been
killed in the neighborhood In the very act
of terrorizipg the community, and these,
together with the horses and cows which
they had bitten, have formed the basis Of
the experiments. The stricken animals
have been retained at the farm, and the de-
velopment Of rabies has been carefully fol-
aminations Of the dead dogs have success
fully isolated the germ which Is responsible
for the dread disease and this manner Of test
finally established. Inoculations Of rabbits
have been made, and they have developed
the disease and become rabid. A prepon-
derance of evidence has been authoritatively
piled up that finally establishes the status
OF the disease.
A strong, healthy horse that had been In
detention for four months because Of bite
from mad dog developed rabies in an ag-
gravated form last week and battered him
self to death against the walls Of his stall.
He was one of four animals belonging to j.
T. Austin, Of Bethesda, bitten by the same
dog. A COW and q horse died at the end OF
twenty days. One horse is still alive and
apparently healthy, but in detention. This
case establishes the necessity Of OBTAINING
an animal for greater period than three
months, which Is the time ordinarily set by
veterinarians.
Aside from the microscopic examination
the government scientists have tested for
hydrophobia through the incubation OF
some animal with particle Of the brain Of
the creature affected. The operation when
thoroughly done is very delicate. 1t in
cludes opening the brain of the animal to
be used in the experiment and the introduce
ton Of a particle of the brain of the animal
supposed to be affected. In the experiments
tried this summer rabbits have been used
altogether. When rabbit was operated
upon and inoculated second rabbit was
subjected to the same operation, with the
exception of the incubation, in order that
it might at the same time be demonstrated
that the creatures subsequent actions were
not due to the operation itself.
The experiments of this summer were
duplicated many times in order to develop
a multitude of testimony. In every case
the inoculated animal has developed rabies
and died, while the fellow In the experiment
has recovered and Is healthy. The last of
the series terminated week ago, resulting
in the death of dozen rabbits.
These experiments have been made by
the government because of claim that has
been generally made during the past few
years TO the effect that hydrophobia is pure.
ly an imaginary disease. The contention
has been that man bitten by mad dog
and believing that horrible death awaited
him would lose his mind and become what
he believed he would. 1t was further held
that the majority of cases of dogs supposed
to be suffering from hydrophobia were af-
fected with sunstroke or poisoning.
The scientists now, having positively re-
corded cases of the development OF rabies in
healthy horses, having isolated the germ
that causes the disease and having trans
ierred that disease in q great number of