The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-08-23

pain. as from whipping. He Is always
he runs away from home II he isn't prevented
o:aye two or three days. When he
comes back he dies Of exhaustion
Now. in the early stages Of the attack
the dog Is not dangerous and can easily
be placed in a safe enclosure where he can
be kept under observation. III rabies does
develop he can be killed. II 1t proves to be
another kind of sickness he can be treated
and perhaps the life Of your dog can be
I'D suggest that people be more careful
In handling dogs ever when they arc to
all appearances perfectly well. For some
time inter a dog Is bitten there 10 no indica-
ton Of %si9kpess, This time OF incubation
varies and the saliva Of the dog Is capable
OF causing rabies for at least several days
before the disease shows itself.
1T is not often that cases result from mere
handling, but they are not unknown. There
Is one instance OF a woman sewing up, a
rent which had been torn in her dress by
a rabid dog and biting of the thread with
which she mended it. She developed hy-
"tn another case a boy cleaned a sword
with which a mad dog had been killed. He
scratched his hand with the blade and be-
came rabid himself. But such cases are not
common.
"By the way, there is another way Of de-
termining whether a dog Is going mad:
III he IL other dogs will be afraid OF him and
viii run from him like towards. no matter
are afraid too OF q human being who has
hydrophobia. even IL it is some one they have
been very fond OF.
According to the Pasteur people, there
would be little danger 70 human beings
son bitten would lose no time In taking the
treatment. The period Of incubation In
human beings varies from less than a month
to twelve months, but 1t Ia usually about
six or seven weeks.
The time to begin treatment 10 at once,
for the disease really begins with the en-
trance OF the poison into the system. The
Pasteur treatment requires twenty, days
and fifteen days more to establish I'M
munity. Those who die wait too long
before beginning treatment or else have
bad wounds, especially wounds about the
head or face.
sOut Of ee2 persons treated in the first
seven years OF the Pasteur Institute In
New York only twelve died. Seven OF
these died within fifteen days, showing
that they had waited too long before taking
the treatment. For as the treatment re-
quires twenty days at least 1t 10 evident
that when the patient had only fifteen days
to live he had waited too long.
turies, n Pasteur institute reports hat
In untreated cases the mortality from severe
bites on the face and head was SO per Q n
on the hands or arms, 81 per cent n on
the limbs, from 20 to 80 per cent.
1T Is interesting to note too that 90 per
cent. Of the cases known are OF men and
bows. OF seven deaths in the District OF
Columbia FIVE were Of men and boys. Per-
haps this is because they are more on the
street and more likely to be in the way OF a
mad dog. But IL IL also true that among
animals the males are more liable TO the dis
ease. There Is a record Of q boy and q girl
being bitten by the same dog, and whereas
the boy died Of hydrophobia the girl did not
develop 1t.
Dogs are the greatest sufferers from
rabies, but almost all animals are liable to 1t.
The Chicago Pasteuf Institute gathered
statistics about the origin Of $50 patients 1t
treated. OF these 100 had been bitten by
dogs, 20 by cats, 20 by horses, Z by skunks.
8 by wolves, 2 by cows, 1 each by o calf, a
rat, a mule and a pig, and 8 by human
beings.
sOf these 7so men and women only three
died. Yet Dos Of the animals which had
bitten them were proved 70 have had rabies,
3SS were recognized as rabid by their symp-
toms and le1 were o n ely suspected.
in 1895 the dean Of the veterinary school
Of the University Of Pennsylvania got au-
thentio reports OF the deaths from rabies In
Philadelphia In that year. There were 8
men, 1 boy, 55dogs, 3horses, Q cattle.< pigs,
/ goat and 10 sheep. In q public park OF an
other city a good many Of the sheep grazing
there died OF rabiea.'