The Washington times., 1908-06-11
RABIES A MENACE.
SAYS DR.. NOHLER
Refutes Old Arguments That
the Disease Is Only
Imaginary.

In answer to those who would decry
the Importance Of taking every precau-
tlon against the spread of the rabies,
or deny the existence of this dread dis
ease, DR.. John r. Mohler, chief of the
division Of pathology OF the Bureau OF
Animal Industry. gives TO The Times a
comprehensive statement showing the
IaIacy of such argument
Dr. Mohler and his assistants have
been busy in the past few weeks MAX
ing microscopic examinations OF the
many bodies of dogs and other animals
that have been killed after showing
symptoms OF hydrophobia, and ne is de-
sirous of aiding the public TO properly
guard against the disease.
He states:
My attention has been called recent
y to several clippings qurpOrting to
have been taken from a New York
newspaper of May "A. which contain
the old misstatements regarding the ef-
forts of certain medical men to find
cases OF rabies either I'm man or animal
one Of these men living in Philadelphia
had searched in vain for sixteen years
Tor a single case on record that can be
concluzively proved to have resulted
from the bite OF a dog. Another ply
sician for twenty years searched in
vain for the disease, and, during SIX
years of this period, offered a reward
OF Sl00 10 any person who would bring
him such a patient, but all IN NalnY Tor
he never was able TO ind case OF
hydrOphobia in either man or animal
Reference is made TO these same
failures ia the Seventeenth Annual he-
port of the Bureau of Animal Industry
Tor 1900, on page l3S, as follows: IAeae
assertions are plausible and TO thcSe
unacquainted with ali the tacIs tney
may be misleading. There nave beeh
numerous cases of rabies III dogs
brought to the veterinary department or
the University of Pennsylvania ever
year for many years, and any phSsleIa
. in Philadelphia could make arrange
ment with that institution 10 see ana
study the cases If he so desired
There have beer also rather frequent
reports In the medical journals OF pa
uenJs at the hospitals in New 1orh
affected with that q .seaSe5 and In some
cases inOculatlon tests have demon
strated the correctness OF the diagnosis.
How can IL be possible that d prominent
physician living there and presumably
well acquainted with the members OF
his profession. has diligently searched
Tor years for such cases and failed TO
lind any?
'.As 10 the advertisement Offering 500
Tor a case of rabies, the writer publicly
HLs sWEIEu lL4S- ana proposed 10 DLtuttN
a case of rabies, the genuineness OF the
disease TO be decided by a committee
appointed by the Medical Society of the
District Of Columbia, and the reward II
earned. to go TO some charitable purpose.
THE gentleman. however, aid not ac-
Cept the proposition and withdrew his
advertisement, apparently having no
further desire TO see a case OF the dis
ease. The reports of eminent medical
men searching in vain over periods Of
many years for cases Of rabies in man
or beast were thus fully and conclu-
sively answered in 1890. but since that
time the same old arguments are
brought forward each time that an at
tempt Is made to deny the existence of
rabies, or to show that the muzZling Of
dogs is simply a useless form of cruelty
In the meantime. rabies has frequent
" appeared ia various parts of the
country, and has been fully substantial
ed in countless cases. and several peO-
pie in some of the larger cities have
met death through being bitten by rabid
dogs. The deuials of the existence of
rabies have had their day, have long
Outliyed their usefulness, and have been
so fully refuted for many years that
they are accepted no longer by any
other than the most Credulous or by
the unread