Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1908-07-06
VALUED POINTERS
CONCERNING RABIES
interesting Information Regarding the
Disease and Its symptoms.
80 sAoUL0 q paEsERvEO

Posted Physicians, The Sun 10 En-
abled to Produce Reliable Informa-
zion Which May Cause Great Good.
Through the assistance OF Dr. Hiram
Byrd, first assistant TO the State
Health Ohicer, and DR.. J. II Hodges,
agent for the state Board Of Health
for Alachua county, The Sun this
morning Is enabled to give to IFS
readers some reliable facts about
that dreaded disease, hydrophobla.
The disease Is now more prevalent
IN Florida, and throughout the entire
country, than for many years. In
deed, II 10 doubtful II the disease has
ever prevailed to the extent that II
81 prevailing now, II ig a disease OF
the nervous system, the poison par
.ticularly affecting the brain and spin
al cord. Like all nervous diseases
the symptoms viii vary decidedly in
different cases,
} In the dog the usual symptoms are
inability to eat or drink. inhamma.
ton and spasm Of the throat, excite
ment and irritabiIIty. and tendency
TO bite everything that comes 10 lis
way. A mad dog Ia apt bite stick,
a weed, another animal or person
anything that molests him scr gets
In his way. On the other hand, these
tendencies may not develop al all:
the dog may simply droop and die.
Convulsions preceding death are fire.
quent, but DO not occur IN every case.
When a dog sickens, with any
throat trouble. and dies. during the
prevalence OF hydrophobia, the nature
OF the disease can be determined by
packing the dogs head In ice and
expressing II 70 the laboratory OF
the state Board Of Health. at Jack
aonville. so that the brain may be ex-
amlned.
The disease prevails summer and
winter, and most animals are subject
70 II. The dog. wolf, cat and COW
are very susceptible 20 Il. aud II may
be conveyed TO the rabbit, horse. pig
and other animals.
The diaeRse Is much more common
shan Is generally supposed In some
countries, where dogs are required
10 be muzxled all the year, the dis
ease has disappeared. In al other
countries, where dogs are allowed 10
run unmuzzled. the disease Is more
or less prevalent A dog which has
been infected with rabies IL danger.
Gus, and his saliva contains the viru.
lent poison OF the disease, q week or
ten days before the dos. allows any
signs OF being sick. Therefore. ira
person Is bitten by an apparently wen
dog, and that dog goes mad within
a week or ten days. the person so
bitten 10 IN as much danger rs II
bitten by the dog IN the active stage
Of the disease, The part Of tho body
bitten BY an infected dog has very
decided bearing on the development
Of the disease, The location OF the
wound has a great deal 20 d6 with
ones chance Of escaping the malady.
OF persons bitten about the face and
head about IS per cent viii develop
hydrophohia; II the bites are on the
hands and arms about So per cent
will develop the disease; II the feet
and legs are the parts bitten, from
as 10 30 per cent viii develop it. The
location OF the wound also effects the
incubation period. Bites about the
head and face win develop the dis.
ease In some instances a. early a.
che 18th day. while from bites an
other parts Of the body the incuba.
tion period h from 80 to 90 days,
t,ut II the disease does not develop
within ak weeks Il Il not likely 10
40 40.
when a person IL bitten by a dos
suspected 81 being mad tho wound
should b. thoroughly cicansed and
cautevlsed with ianlng nitric acid
The citrate 81 silver. or lunar caussic
commonly employed for this purpose
Il not SUFFICIENT and shoala not ~
used, II the wound Il sliehl and e b
Immediately elpansed ara cautcrlned
with tumlng nitrate acid 4 u consider
"a fhat ~, s,.k..,,, AZ. ttsAafaH ueltl ~