The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-07-08
MAD DOC SCARE.
Leading Topeka Physicians Tell
What They Think of 1t.
All Agree That HydrOphObia Is
Rare.
A SEASON OF FRIGHT.
Animals No More Apt to Be Mad
i'm Summer Than i'm Winter.
Mad Dog Business Greatly
OverwOrked," Says One.

In connection with the ordinance
passed by the council last night keep
ing all dogs in the city in confinement
for the next sixty days all because of
the mad dog scare that is agitating
the city, it might be of interest to hear
the views of a few we'll known local
physicians on the subject. The fol-
| lowing talked to the State Journal re-
| porter about the question of
| hydrophobia:
DIR. J. G. McClintock: 81 have prac-
| ticed for thirty years and never saw
| a mad dog. They were always in the
next county. I never saw a person
afflicted with hydrophobia and neither
have 1 seen person who had seen
one so afflicted
DIR. l.. H. Mum: There is such
| a thing as hydrophobIa and mad dogs,
| don't deny that, but this mad dog
| business is greatly overworked every
| time there is a scare. 1 should say
| that there is nothing the matter with
| 999 dogs out of every 1000 that are
| spoken of as mad"
| DR.. S. G.. Stewart There is sea-
| son of fright every year over mad
dogs. 1 believe there is such a thing
as a mad dog. but 1 never saw one
| in Topeka, and l have lived here %
years and examined a great many
animals supposed to have been
afflicted with rabies. / believe that a
dog is more apt to go mad In cold
| than in hot weather.
| DIR. w. d. Storrs: 1 was told by DIR.
| Jeffrey before he left here last week
that the dog that bit his son was
| mad. Genuine cases of hydrophobia
are very rare. The disease was
stamped out in Germany by law that
1 oil 70 he 1aI oil
| the time
DR.. r. f. McVey: 81 saw a mad
dog a long time ago. I don't know
| much about the question; it is out of
| my line
| Dr. Sara Greenfield: They brought ir
dog yesterday for examination. but il
! had been shot and was dead. They
! should have kept the dog alive and ir
! confinement and by watching him
| closely could have determined all about
/ that case. 1 believe that all dogs
| should be kept confined for a while
| 1t is much safer. The microscopic test
| is a new one and has been used with
success in Chicago where there is now
a mad dog scare The old and sure test
| was to innoculate a rat
DIR. G. ]. Mulvane: This mad dos
| scare is all farce. l do not believe
there is a case of hydrophobia in the
city or the state of Kansas. l never
| saw mad dog"
l LII. L. ~. IlyQTOpuODld Il
an established fact, and l think tina
dogs ought to be muzzled in case of {
| scare. Even though two-thirds O.
| these scares are groundless / see M
| reason why there should be any 1acl
of precaution in this most importan
| matter
I DR.. L. Y. Grubbs: This scare is on,
of the conditions that always sprin.
up at this time of year. Rabies are N
more prevalent in July than January
but the popular supposition is that dog
are very apt to go mad in hot weather
Hydrophobia is much more rare thai
people suppose. There is not much t
the average mad dog scare"
DIR. w. S. Lindsay: THE father of tn
little 6 year old girl who was bittel
the other day by supposed mad do
brought her to me and 1 advised hir
to take her to the Pasteur institute a
Chicago. l had no means of finding on
whether or not the dog was mad a
they had killed the animal The Pas
teur institute has, in my opinion, estab
lished the fact of hydrophobia as a re
atty in spite of incredulity in man
quarters, but the disease is not at a
| prevalent"
Dr. ]. H. Outland: II have seen n
cases here. 1t is a great misfortune t
/ kill the dog; the animal should be con
fined always until his trouble has devel
oped one way or the other. There ar
a good many mad dogs, but very fe'
of these really have hydrophobia."