The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1910-07-28
PREVALENCE OF HYDRO
PHOBIA.
Thin Out the Worthless Dogs and
Protect the People from this Ter
rible Menace.

EDITOR GOLD Leaf send you
clipping from the Literary Digest
which l hope you will publish that it
may attract the attention OF some
one who has the authority to protect
the children, and grown people too,
from the dogs and hydrophobia. We
have on one street in our neighbour
hood about thirty little helpless chill
dren, and there are, running un-
muzzled, among them no less than 3
worthless dogs. 1t does seem that
some protection might be given to
those people who are not dog keep
ers, and do not want their children
and themselves subjected to hydro
phobia, typhoid fever, consumption
and other diseases that are cOmmunl-
Gated by dogs; not to mention their
nightly howlings, barkings and dep
relations.
Every one knows that dog is the
filthiest of all animals and that he
will eat from the child's plate or bite
his bread or drink from the water
bucket. The disease he communi-
Gates will be attributed to flies.
l sincerely hope that one some inter-
ested in the children, will take steps
to have the dogs muzzled or kept in
their owners lots.
The children or the dogs, which?
Very respectfully,
MRS. T. T. HICKS.
The article from the Literary Di-
gest follows:
Hydrophobia is rapidly increasing
in the State of Georgia. and presum-
ably also throughout the United
States, according to figures cited by
DR.. Henry r. Slack in the Journal
Record of Medicine ATLANTA, Ga. J.
DR.. Slack bases his conclusions on the
record OF the Georgia Pasteur Insti-
tute, established ten years ago. He
writes:
"When you consider the fact that
for four years (from 1900 to 1904
we only treated 237 patients, and
that A OF them came from west OF
the Mississippi River, 80 from Ala
bama, "a from South Carolina, 11S
(less than half from Georgia, and
that 4S9 were treated in Georgia in
1908 and 1876 in 1909, after these
other States had established Pasteur
laboratories, the increase in rabies
is appalling. The average for the
first four years OF this decade was
500, while for the last two years it
is 1878, or an increase of over S37
per cent. in less than ten years. This
certainly is enough to make US pause
and think what we must do to pre-
vent the rapid spread of this most
| awful of all diseases.
1--WE are all more or less familiar
with death when he comes in con
SYMPTOMS CHASTITY form, the earth
| quake shock, and ocean storm but
in hydrophobia he is even more ter
rible. Now all this anxiety, suffer
ing, and death can be prevented by a
very simple method.
'Muzzle all dogs and establish a
six months quarantine. This is not
a theory, but fact that has been
demonstrated in England, Denmark
Sweden, and Norway. In the two
latter countries there has not been a
case OF rabies in over fifty years.
England's experience with the muz-
zllng law demonstrates it's efficacy
most clearly. In 1889 there were 312
dogs and 80 human beings that died
with rabies. The muzziing law was
passed and rigidly enforced, so that
in 1892 (three years. only 80 dogs
and people died with rabies. The
dog lovers at this time appealed to
the authorities to remove the 'cruel
muzzle' and they consented with the
result that during the next FIVE years
1902 dogs and 81 people died OF the
most agonizing disease known to
medicine. Despite this awful lesson
these same 'humanitarians' came
again in 1899 with another petition
signed by $4,000 of them begging to
be relieved of the annoying muzzle
but the authorities had learned q
lesson and remained obdurate, will
the result that in 1905 no case Of
rabies occurred in England, and there
has been none since in man or beast
What has been accomplished in
England, Sweden, Denmark, and Nor.
way can be done in the United
States"