The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-17


 In view of the widespread discussion of the question of the number of arrests for drunkenness in "dry" and wet cities the United States census bureau made an investigation. comparison of the num- Der of arrests in the large American cities, based on the official estimate of the population of 1903, was made a topic in one of the census bureau bulletins The differences between the number of arrests in wet" and dry" cities did not vary more than fraction of 1 per cent. In Portland, Me, and Kansas City, two prohibition cities, the proportion of ar rests for drunkenness was PA and 1.76 per cent of the population, respectively. In Chicago, a "wet" town. it was 146 per cent; in two cities where the regula- tions are strict Boston and Philadelphia, it was 1.76 and 1.36 per cent respective ly. No count was made of the drunken people in New York.
 The value of these conclusions was questioned in criticism made last week that drunkenness serious enough to lead to an arrest may mean half a dozen things in as many cities. A watchful po- lceman in a prohibition town. where anti-saloon sentiment runs high, may arrest man for drunkenness when the offender would be considered merely tipsy in Milwaukee or St. Louis, or would pass unnotced in Chicago or New York
 The brewers declare that the prohi- bition movement has brought untold losses upon them. The capital invested in breweries in the United States, &C., cording to the last federal census, was $415,0O0,O00. The experts of the United States Brewers association say that It is now nearer $700,000, GOO.
 Plans for enlargements Improvements, and new buildings are being held up. This has caused a widespread reaction in the dependent industries-among real es- tate men, builders, farmers, and manu- lecturers of machinery and bar fixtures. The value of the machinery, tools, and implements in the breweries were worth S7600O,000 in 1900, according to the last census The brewers are said to have benefited the building, machine, and tool industries from 190 to 1905 to the extent of nearly s200,0 ,0O0,000.
 All over the country the victories of the prohibitionists and the operation of local option laws have rendered bar fixtures and saloon furniture next to useless. This is reacting upon the manufacturers de- pendent on the brewers in double sense.
 A representative of the brewers de- clares that while on visit to Alabama shortly after it became prohibition state, he saw 15 carloads of bar fixtures ready for shipment to the east.
 
 The day Is near when we will begin see- ing scare heads in the newspap pers about rabid dogs, and their hydrophobia vic- tims. Hydrophobia is an infectious dis case acquired with the bite of dog wolf, cat, fox and other animals in these groups. Specific germs which make their way through the blood are introduced with the puncture of the tooth and usually settle in a portion of the brain; strange to say in only limited portion. Ninety per cent of the cases of hydrophobia re- suit from the bite of the dog; four per cent from cates and wolves and but two per cent from foxes.
 practical point of great importance in connection with hydrophobia is to de- termine whether the animal which has in- fiicted the wound is or is not mad, and if it is killed this may be determined within a very few minutes by a micro- scopic examination of the dogs braun This brilliant discovery was made in 1903 by an Italian physician, Dr. A. Negri who demonstrated the presence of certain specific bodies in the brains of animals suffering from rabies.
 If a competent pathologist is not close at hand to make the examination the skull of the animal should be broken open the brain removed and placed in a jar or bottle filled with a mixture of one half water and one-half alcohol, and this should be forwarded at once to the near est laboratory where the examination can be made within five minutes after it is in the hands of the pathologist and a positive assurance made as to whether the animal was or was not infected with .he disease when the bite was inflicted As to treatment, the immediate indica- tion is to destroy the germs at the point of inoculation. The thorough burning with nitric acid will put an end to all danger of constitutional infection.
 This should be done as early after the bite as possible, but 1t has been proved that if delayed as long as 24 hours fur ther invasion of the disease has been prevented In almost every instance in which 1t has been employed. The rem edy advised Is pure nitric acid, which can be obtained from any drug store. This should be thoroughly applied to all points of the wound by means of small glass pipette or medicine dropper, or if