The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-31

the mines for a petty offense and desiring to settle the costs l found that they  shall be muzzled; in. England and France it is much more common. In this country the disease occurs more often than Is generally supposed, as is shown by the number of authentic cases collected by Salmon (Yearbook of the United States department of agriculture, page 210, 1901 .)' A further discussion of the disease fol- lows.
 On page 230 of the same book he says
 'Pseudo-Hydrophobia Lyssophobia- This Is very interesting-an affection which may closely resemble hydrophobia, but Is really nothing more than a neurotic or hysterical manifestation. A nervous person bitten by @ dog, either rabid or supposed to be rabid, develops within a few months, or even later. symptoms somewhat resembling the true disease He is irritable and depressed. He con stantly declares his condition to be se- rious and that he will inevitably become mad. He may have paroxysms in which he says he is unable to drink, grasps at his throat and becomes emotional. The temperature is not elevated and the dis ease does not progress. It lasts much longer than the true rabies and is amen able to treatment. It Is not improbable that majority of the cases of alleged recovery in this disease have been of this hysterical form"
 In Oslers "Modern Medicine" volume 3, pages 52-69. will be found a fuller and more complete account of hydrophoba than is found in his volume on Practice of Medicine
 On page 52 occurs the following con- corning the geographical distribution of the disease:
 Rabies occurs in almost every part of the world, Australia being the only country known to be exempt, owing to the rigidly enforced quarantine. It Is very rarely seen In Holland, Denmark. Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. In France. Belgium, Hungary and Russia the disease is widespread. In the latter country 1t is common among wolves. It is quite common In Italy and Spain, al- though the official figures are small. In Germany the disease Is seen mainly on the frontiers and Is rare in the interior. It Is quite common In China and Japan. England is practically free at the present time. Rabies Is common through the greater part of the United States severe epidemics having been observed in sev- eral cities quite recently. The census for 1890 gave 143 deaths, distributed in 30 states. and for 1900, 123 deaths. These figures do not represent the full number of deaths from hydrophobia. Salmon col lected statistics from the health officers of 73 cities which showed 230 deaths be- tween 1890 and 1900"
 On page 69 of this volume Is found the following on Prevention:
 Rabies Is a preventable disease. Since more than 90 per cent of all cases are due to bites from dogs, and since 1t is kept alive in the canine race, our meas ures must be directed to the control of oJafr al T Iu nd humane to have them under supervision than to subject them to the extreme measures sometimes enacted during the terror which reigns in a community in which an outbreak of rabies occurs. The wholesale destruction of dogs sometimes seen is cruel and unnecessary. Among the measures proposed for the control of dogs may be mentioned high tax, muzzling, and the leash, with the destruc- ton of homeless and wandering ani- mals.
 "The results of muzzling justify its recommendation and there is little doubt that its strict enforcement will eradi- cate rabies from any community in a short time"
 Great Britain furnishes a striking ex- ample of it's efficacy:
 In 1887 there were 217 cases of rabies in Great Britain: in 1888 there were 160 cases and in 1889 312 cases.
 The increase caused alarm and muzzling was enforced, as a result of which in 1890 129 cases were seen; in 1891 79 cases, and in 1892 3s cases.
 There was much opposition to the muz- zling and the ordinance was relaxed.
 As a result in 1893 the number of cases rose to 93; in 1894, PAS cases and in 1895 672 cases. Owing to the general alarm, muzzling was again enforced, resulting at once in a marked decrease of cases to 49S in 1896. 151 in 1897, r in 1898, in 1899 and none in 1900.
 As Dr. OsIer is regius professor of medicine at Oxford, Engiand's greatest university, the above figures from his Modern Medicine" will prosably be ac- cepted as facts.
 While the charge of "commercialism" might be made against those Pasteur in- stitutes which are owned and controlled by private individuals, it is not likely that anyone could sustain such a charge against such institutes as are conducted by state or municipal boards of health, where free treatment is given to all who are in need of it. Such an institute Is conducted in Montgomery by the state board of health.
 If your correspondent means to contend that hydrophobia as a real disease does not exist, the medical profession takes issue with him. If he wishes to estab- fish that 1t is a rare disease, I agree with him fully. As 1t Is disease in which practically every person who de- velops 1t dies. the duty of the board of health lis to endeavor to make 1t rarer than it already is.
 This letter Is written. not in a con troversial spirit, but to answer the ques- tions of your correspondent and to as- sure your readers that the county board of health gave due consideration to the subject of muzzling before they adopted the resolution. Respectfully,
 J. M. MASON, M. D.
 Birmingham, May 30, 1909.