The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-07

Holland. Switzerland, Denmark, North Germany and England as a result of the continuous enforcement of the muzzling ordinances. The following statistics from Great Britain covering a period of II years. strikingly Illustrates the value Of muzzling:
 English Statistics (Salmon)-1ss7, PIT cases; 1885, 169 cases; 1889, s12 cases
 "Muzzling Enforced-1890, 190 cases; 1891, 79 cases; 1892, 38 cases.
 opposition to Muzzling: Ordinance Not Enforced-193, 93 cases; 1894, 243 cases; 1895. 672 cases.
 "Muzzling Again Enforced-1s96 4Ss cases; 1s97 151 cases; 1898, r cases; 1894 cases; 1900, no cases"
 A few years ago a physician died of hydrophobia in this county. He had come home one night about dusk and found small puppy sitting bowling out in the rain Out of the kindness of his heart he picked the dog up to put him under shelter and was bitten on the thumb. The dog died in few days from hydrophobia, as did two or three other animals on the place Ca calf and a colt, believe) and it was thought a mad dog passing by had bitten them all
 There was ao Pasteur institue nearer than New York at that time and for some reason, although the doctor consid- cred himself doomed from the first, he uiu nol SO away TOT treatment.
 The disease developed in about three months and the description of the poor mans sufferings, as given to us by his friend and physician who attended him, fingers with most of us yet. A cramp in single muscle is a pain with which every one is familiar. Imagine this cramp in every muscle of the body and null tiply it by ten; add to this the cramp of the muscles of the throat, an inde- scribable agony in itself which at the same time shuts off the breath for which he struggles until he is completely smoth- cred almost to inconsistencies when the spasm relaXes and he would then have a few minutes ease, except for the in- tolerable thirst that has been torturng him for hours. His mouth Is filled with a thick, tenacious mucuous and he dare not even attempt to wash out his mouth. In his desperation he may risk taking little water, cost what 1t may but at the first touch of it the awful general spasm and the suffocation comes on again. Whether he takes it or not the attacks keep coming closer and closer together, hour after hour, for a day or so, perhaps, according to the vitality, until exhaustion and asphyxia bring him relief for all time. Add to all this hor- rible picture of suffering which no known anguish, accidental or invented, can ap- proach, the fact that the patients mind is usually clear and he knows that he has dozens of these frightful attacks to endure and that death only will relieve him. Rather than that one such case as this should occur-even once in the whole world in hundred years-it would justify muzzing all the dogs forever. Even those who unduly consider the comfort of the dogs and other animals should remember that one mad dog often causes this disease In a dozen other dogs and other animals and their suffering IS ptiable even without the mental agony a man endures.
 A few years ago horse died of hydro phobid in one of our veterinary hospitals and number of our physicians were asked to go there and see it. No de- scription of that poor animals condi- tion could give more than feeble out line of the real picture As he stood there trembling as with the hardest chill, all his poor energy given to striving for breath (the spasm never leaving his throat muscles even between the general attacks) vainly trying to free his mouth and nostrils from the froth, his eyes starting from his head and his face eX- pressing the most unutterabe woe, such as no one could imagine dumb animal s face could express. He stood thus in the interval of comparative rest (save the mark) until the spasm would suddenly seize upon the throat muscles again, when with an effort to scream with the last breath he was to have for minute or more he would pitch forward on his head with the cruelest fall and go into the most terrible convulsion, heart-brealxing for the most hardened to see. Ills head would pound upon the floor until it was cut and bruised in every part and he tore at his legs with his teeth until well, some of us had seen enough, and we begged the doctor to put the poor thing out of his misery. He said he wanted to. but asked if we did not think he ought to allow him to live as long as possible that as many as possible might have the op- portunty of seeing this case in view of the fact that about one man in every four one would meet on the street did not believe there was any such disease.
 I should have mentioned that Dr. Mason also informed us that in Australia they require that all dogs coming to that isl- and have to endure a six months quaran- tine, the result being that so far the dis ease is absolutely unknown there. I also neglected to say to those who believe the disease Is of rare occurrence that Dr. Mason has treated nearly 80 cases for suspicious dog bites since November and in all but two or three it was proven the dogs were mad. Most sincerely,
 GEORGE s. BROWN, HIS South Twentieth Street. Birmingham.
 June 6, 1909.