Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1908-03-27

1t Is characteristic Of the human race
to scoff at danger when the danger has
passed. Just as scientists have sue
ceeded in successfully combating ny
drophobia horrors, men are declaring
hydrophobia to be myth The scotch
Ing of the rabies evil has been in prog
ress so quietly that few have realized
the wonderful work accomplished. 1t
will astonish most readers of this to
learn that before the Pasteur treat
ment was invented 80 per cent Of all
rabies, and of these all died. To-day
the death rate Is but one-third Of one
per cent.
Death from hydrophobia, as most
people know, is one of the most horri-
bic deaths which men die. The afiilct-
ed one becomes restless, nervous, mel
ancholy. Then he Is stricken with
commissions. The most prominent symp-
tom Is aversion to water. The very
thought of 1t causes a contraction Of
the throat that may induce another
CONFUSION. A touch will set him shiv-
ering like leaf, and II breeze blows
or door slams he cries out that he Is
smothering. His efforts to rid himself
of secretion that fills his mouth and
throat induce sort of whooping cough,
i the typical bark Of hydrophobia. After
few days Of this misery paralysis in
tervenes. The muscles of the face and
mouth are relaxed and a terrible grin
renders the countenance CHASTITY. The
patient gasps and chokes until death
ensues from paralysis of the respira-
tory and circulatory centers.
From such a fate as this the Pasteur
treatment has rescued humanity. Much
of the method is mantled in mystery
Experience has shown that results are
attained, but how they come about Is
in many instances as lnexplIcable Of
the source Of electricity.
ThePasteur treatment may he briefly
described as a method of fighting fire
with fire. 1t simply consists in gen
Grating in the patients system an anti
toxin before the powers of the rabbi
virus are fully developed. 1t produces
speedily in the patient enough anti
toxin to resist the onslaught Of the
comparatively slowly gathering toxic
forces. To give concrete presentation
Of 1t: If man be lnoculated with the
germs OF rabies In such very small
quantity that his body can develoI
enough antl-toxin to resist them he will
not die. If the dose be gradually in
creased now, so that the manufacture
of antl-toxln keeps pace with the mum
Der Of germs, soon an injection Of rabit
virus Of full strength can be giver
without injury to the patient.
The reason a man dies Of HYDRO
| phobla Is because when he Is bitten BY
a dog, the immense number of germ!
introduced into his blood make such {
terrific, concerted onslaught upon biz
system that It cannot make anti-toxlr
fast enough to save him. This is thu
secret Of the Pasteur treatment. II
the great majority Of cases, 60 per cen
at least, rabies does not appear unit
after the thirty-ffth day. Accordingl.
In this resplte-between the bite ant
the appearance of the resultant hydro
phobia, If the person attacked be glvel
small injections of rabies virus In sucI
n progression that his body can develol
anti-toxln enough to meet each dose
he will at the end of the time be SAT,
from the attacks of virus of full
strength In other words he become
immune" The anti-toxin that Is nov
in him in large quantity will kill al
hydrophobia germs as they are Matched
1t will be seen that the crux of tn
whole problem is the regulation of tn
dose. To make this exact two thing
are necessary. The strength of tn
virus must be known and 1t must b
comfortable. For long time the prot
lem Of making all virus of the sam
strength bafied Pasteur. He discoy
cred at last a peculiar biological fac
for which no explanation has bee
found. If the spinal cord of a rabbi
that has died of rabies be taken on
and worked up in distilled water an
an injection Of this be made into til
brain of a second rabbit, that secon
rabbit will develop rabies and die {
, It. and the period of incubation will |
fine same as the rabbit that first ha
f. If the third rabbit be lnoculate
In the same way it will develop rabit
| at the expiration of the same time {
i The other two-a period of fourteen {
fifteen days.
, rs the process keeps up, however,
will be found that the period of inc
bation grows shorter and shorter unit
ut last at the twenty-fifth rabbit
makes a sudden drop to eight day
there it stays again until the twent
fifth rabbit after that, when 1t drol
= % seven days. Then there is a pe-iC
e ninety more NEGOTIATIONS. aft
! which six days becomes the incubato