Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-04
RABIES AND ITS CURE
MacfarIand Would Mete Death
to All Tramp Dogs.
SOURCE OF ALL DANGER
DR.. Mohler Says Only Way Is to
Muzzle Them All.
EXPERT EXPLAINS HIS VIEWS
Says England Has Applied His
Remedy Effectively and It
Is the Only Way.
EXPERT EXPLAINS HIS VIEWS

Commissioner Mac1arlann is HAeu III
opinion that most so-called mad dogs are
not at all mad He also believes the pub
lie should not become what he terms hys
terical over the alleged prevalence of ra-
bies Newspapers of Washington, he suAG
gests. can perform an important duty at
this time by advising the public to this
effect
These opinions were expressed by MI
Macfarland today when asked what the
Commissioners propose to do with the
petition forwarded them several days ago
by the Veterinarians Association or
Washington, requesting that all dogs in
the District be muzzled. He further stated:
1.-The position OF the Commissioners is
once more outlined in their response to
the suggestion of the veterinarians that
all dogs be muzzled when at large In
stead, we propose to remove entirely the
dangerous dogs.
.'The muzzling experiment showed. first.
that comparatively few dogs were muz-
zled and that they were the licensed dogs
of well-to-do people: second. that the
great ma jority were not muzZled and that
they were the same in general as the un
licensed dogs which we are now putting
painlessly to death. Already over 900
dogs have been thus removed since jan
uary, 1905
DR.. Mothers Opinion.
In opposition to Mr. Macfarland's atti-
tude is the assertion of DR.. ]. r. Mohler
that, as there is such a disease as rabies,
the only practical means Of Graduating 1t
and thus preventing this danger to human
life is to muzzle all dogs.
Dr. Mohler Is chief of the pathological
division Of the bureau of animal industry,
Department Of Agriculture. Under DR..
Mothers direction many investigations
Of rabies have been conducted. he. has
general charge of the bureau experiment
station at Bethesda, Md, where cases OF
rabies are watched.
"Of course, If a person does not believe
there is such disease as rabies. he
should not advocate the muzzling of all
dogs" DR.. Mohler stated. But the prin-
cipal reason advanced by these persons
who say they do not think there is any
such disease as rabies Is that they have
never seen 1t. If we do not believe any
thing except what We have personally
seen or experienced, then we would be-
lieve many things do not exist which
we know have existed or do exist.
Il notice that Mrs. Totten Is quoted in
your paper as saying that she does not
believe there Is such a disease as rabies,
because she has never seen it. Her son
has several Great Dane puppies, and sew
eral of them died short time ago. He
came here to see if we could tell him
what the matter was He said he had
never seen anything like it before.
I'VE found what disease the dogs had.
Mr. Totten had never seen the disease
before, and, by the same line of reason
ing used by those not believing in rabies,
that disease did not exist. But 1t killed
several Of the dogs.
Disease Is Recognized.
''Our scientific experiments have shown
that there is such a disease, and 1t is rec
ognized In the leading books on animal
diseases. Our experiments have gone so
far that we know in what period the dis
ease will develop. how the germs WORK
and the general course of the illness. 1
believe in rabies because / have observed
cases of it and 1t is recognized by scien-
tific men.
Recognizing that there is such disease,
then, the only practical way of eradicat-
ing it is by muzzling all dogs. That has
been tried in England, and there the dis
ease has been eradicated. If there is any
other better way let those opposed to
muzzling dogs tell us what it is. Many
lovers of dogs are opposed to the plan.
We who favor the plan like dogs, too. 1t
is not a question of liking dogs, but of
liking men more.
Rabies is transferred from an animal
to another animal or to a person only
through bite, the teeth pushing the poi
sonous germs into the tissues. On &C
count of this limited means of spreading
the germs it is one of the easiest diseases
to eradicate. If the teeth are prevented
from biting the flesh of another animal or
a person the disease canot be spread.
Thus the muzzing of all dogs will prac-
tically eradicate the disease.
This cannot be done by the capture of
dogs by a dog catcher, unless the dog
catchers are made numerous, about one
for every square"