The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1908-04-02

1t Is characteristic OF the human race
y to scon at danger when the danger has
passed. Just as scientists have sue
ceeded In successfully combating by
drophobia horrors, men are declaring
hydrophobia TO be a myth. The scotch
Ing Of the rabies evil has been In prog
, ress 50 quietly that few have realized
the wonderful work accomplished. II
VIII astonish most readers OF this TO
learn that before the Pasteur treat
ment was Invented 80 per cent OF All
; Persons bitten BY mad dogs developed
rabies. and ot these all died. TODAY
the death rate is but one third OF one
per cent.
Death from hydrophobla. "a most
people know, Is one OF the most horrl-
bic deaths which men die. The aaiIct-
ed one becomes restless. nervous. mel
aneholy. Then he Is stricken with
commissions. The most prominent symp-
tom Is aversion to water. The very
thought OF II causes contraction OF
the throat that may Induce another
CONFUSION. A touch win set him shiv.
ering like a leaf. and II breeze blows
or a door slams he cries out that he 4
smothering. His efforts 10 ria himself
OF secretion that ais his mouth and
throat induce a sort OF who0plng cough.
the typical bark OF hydrophobIa. After
a Few days OF this misery paralysis In
tervenes. The muscles OF the face and
mouth are relaxed and terrible grin
renders the countenance CHASTITY. The
patient gasps and chokes until death
ensues from paralysis Of the resplra-
tory and circulatory centers.
Prom such fate as this thesPasteur
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 Inexplfcable as
the source Of electricity.
ThePasteur treatment may be briefly
described as a method OF nghti1e Ore /
with fire Il simply consists In gen
Grating In the patients system an anti .
toxin before the powers OF the rable Z
Virus are fully developed. II produces {
speedily IN the patient enough anti J
toxin to resist the onslaught Of the ,
comparatively slowly gathering toxic
forces To give a concrete presentation
OF u: III man be InocuInted with the I
germs OF rabies In such very small r
quantity that bis body cnn develop n
enough anti-toxin TO resist them he VIII 6
not die. II the dose be gradually IN.
creased now. 80 that the manufacture
n anti-toxln keeps pace with the mum n
Der OF germs. soon m injection Of rnblc
firus Of full strength can BE- given
Without injury to the patient. 4
The reason a man dies Of hydro al
'hobia Is because when he IL bitten bv Il
dog. the immense number OF Qernf- b,
Introduced into his blood mike such n e
errihc, concerted onslaught upon his Il
ystem that It cannot make anfi-toxln z,
ast enough to save him. This 4. the n
ecret Of the Pasteur treatment In "a
be great majority Of cases. so per cent
Z least. rabies does not appear until 4,
fter the thirty-nfth day. Accordingly
J this resplte--between the bite and 81
De appearance Of the resultant hydro n,
bobia. II the person attacked be given nj
nah injections Of rabies virus in such hi
progression that bis body can devotion bl,
enough to meet each dose ne
: viii at the end OF the time be- safe
ON the attacks Of virus OF full vi
rength- IN other words he becomes On
immune" The antl-toxin that Il now ~,
him IN large quantity will XIII all ~
drophobla germs as they are hafched ~
II Will BE- seen that the crux OF the ~,
hole problem Is the regulation OF the
se. TO make this exact two things
2 necessary. The strength OF the -
rus must be known and II must be '''e
For a long time the prob pu'
u Of making all virus OF the same ="
'ength bafied Pasteur. He dIscov- VI
I'd at last a peculiar biological fact .l'e
: which no explanation has been "
md. n the spinal cord Of rabbit
u has died OF rabies be taken ont aDo
. worked up in distilled water ana nao
Injection Of this be made into the
tin Of second rabbit. that second S"'
Iblt VIII develop rabies and die Of ask
and the period Of incubation viii be :.
same NJ the rabbit that first bad cOul
n the third rabbit be inoculated
the same way It Will develop rabies mar
the expiration OF the same time as MN
other two-a period OF fourteen or Ing
cen days Ret
u the process keeps up. however. It
be found that the period OF incu- ri
Ion grows shorter and shorter until ,sfud
last At the twenty-nfth rabbit II y,
zes sudden drop to eight days. Of h
re It stays again until the twenty
rabbit after that, when It drops W
leyen days. Then there f. a pe-lod says
ninety more inoculatioDs. after have
Cd six days becomes the Incubatory the