The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1911-03-23

lIHA harm. The symptoms de
| ~ velop over Q period o.
from three to eight day.
before the biting mania
seizes him. Meanwhile
he gives q hundred warn
ings. All that is neces
sary Is to chain him.
That this piece Of Information has
not been given publicity before. ex
cept In the case Of . few New Eng
land towns. 10 due to the general lack
q caution. but. With the alarming in
crease of rabies both in animals and
0sa. Il AAs bscoms ssssatial. Too
many dogs are going naA every day.
oo0eGhlng Will have - b done about
It. rAs disease = nov % pFsvalsnt
tAst II = psrtinsat to ask:
u your dog going mad too!
This Sssstioa may strike you - un-
0scessarily alarming. especially II you
happen to live where there have never
bssn any aaA aoGs. In that case you
ars to b. eoasratslatsA. Places With
such record are becoming rare. Your
turn may b nsxt.
Left TO spread - far - II might.
With practically no attempt to stop II.
rabies during The past few years Aas
become thickiy disseminated over the
whole Of the United States. except the
tar West. Along the Atlantic coast
and fn the middle West. both North
aal South, there 10 hardly . district
unaffected BY It. and each additional
Cog that goss mad 10 carrying It a.
far ~ he can travel In two or three
days time. II has arrived At the point
where It threatens everyone. and. II It
were not for the twenty-five or more
institutions which are now giving the
Pasteur treatment in the affected dis
tricts. the number Of human deaths
would be startling.
Three years ago rabies began to
press itself upon public attention. Up
to that time It had never appeared
- much Of . danger in America, al.
though mad dogs had shown them
selves at intervals for more than 4
century. Each in itself had always
been . terrifying object, but the num-
bers were comparatively scarce.
Conservative estimates of the med
ical men and boards of health place
the number Of deaths annually from
this dread disease at 10000.
The question of what to do IL also
before this country. Two courses are
open: policing and . study of the dis
ease which may lead to its prevention.
Effective policing has always meant
. rigid muzzle and leash law and the
ehloroforming Of all stray dogs. But
1t has been proved to be successful.
After centuries Of terror over rabid
animals. England, since 1897. has sue
ceeded by this means in remaining rid
OF them entirely. and only . few
months ago when some of the virus
was needed in . research laboratory
In Liverpool II had to be obtained out
side the country. Berlin has practical.
ly eradicated the disease within the
city following an epidemic during
which dog went mad on the streets
every day. Paris. overcoming a sen.
timental opposition. reduced the mad
dogs from $50 during the year 1901
to 10 in 1907, simply by compelling
owners to look after their pets.
Attempts to stop the disease in this
country have been spasmodic and
hysterical. 1t has required tho death
Of some well-known person or some
unusual circumstance to awaken the
police.
There are three types of rabies:
furious, which we recognize; dumb,
which we do not: and mixture of the
two. The furious Is the most import
ant
The first action on the part of a
dog which points to furious rabies is
4 marked and unusual restlessness.
He jumps up constantly without cause
and is representative to light and
sound. He snoops in dark corners and
licks everything nervously. He be.
comes effusive in his affection. and his
master. wondering. feels that there is
trouble, and asks the poor dumb brute
what ails him.
Then. all at once. his disposition
changes He snaps suddenly, and the
next instant wags his tail in apology
for his action. In a moment he snaps
again. Meanwhile he eats and drinks
normally and shows no sign Of paraly-
sis. which we have been taught to look
for when rabies is suspected.
The restlessness increases in a way
that can hardly fail Of notice, and
then night comes when he gives lit.
tie gaspiDg howls, which sound as II
they had been choked of In the mid
die. Anyone who has ever heard this
howl knows instinctively that there is
something wrong. There Is no confus.
ing 1t with the ordinary barking at
passing or imaginary objects, and 1t
sounds nothing at all like bayinx at
the moon. The howls are senseless
and the hearer realizes 1t.
Aret thA d.