Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-09

not So far as Washington is concerned,
the Department of Agriculture is the
court and DR. F. NJ. Webster is the judge.
DR.. John Mohler directs the division of
pathology in the bureau Of animal indus
try, where the cases Of the supposedly
rabid dogs are sent. but DR.. Webster is
the scientist who does the work of actual
determination.
Hundred Cases Every Year.
There are on an average hundred
cases year sent to his desk, and in
about three-fourths of the cases the
diagnosis is rabies. Fortunately for the
public. only about II per cent Of the cases
of mad dog bite develop into hydrophobia,
even If no precautions are taken. At the
hygienic laboratory of the public health
anti-rabic treatment that they apply when
a person is bitten by dog that is known
to be rabid, and this reduces the chances
of developing rabies to something less
than quarter of 1 per cent.
But if the dog has been killed. as Is
usually the case with a supposedly mad
dog, the hygienic laboratory waits for the
verdict Of Dr. Webster before it gives
the preventive treatment
Now, the thing interesting the public is
what the scientist does with the dogs head
on whose condition such a mOmentous
decision hangs. First he gets out slice
of the dogs brain and of it he shaves
microscopic film. This is put under the
microscope. and If it shows the presence
Of Negri bodies the dog was mad. This
has been established by scientific expert
ment SO many times in SO many quarters
Of the world that the evidence is accept
ed as conclusive. Should the dog have
been unquestionably mad this examina-
ton is simple and the verdict can be rem
dered in about twentyfour hours. If the
Negri bodies are not found it is fair. but
not conclusive, evidence that there was
nothing the matter with the dog.
Minute Examination Necessary.
The surgeon then goes a step farther
He gets out the plexiform ganglion and
looks for the bodies there. In the early
stages of the disease they may be there,
and not yet developed in the brain cells.
If this examination Is also negative then
there is but one thing to do. There is
solution prepared of a small section of
the suspected brain and this is injected
into a rabbit
Usually nothing happens. but occa-
sionally where the dog was In the very
early stages Of rabies the disease Is COM
municated to the rabbit. And thus it is
demonstrated that If the dog examined
were really mad a verdict usually can be
of that time a positive diagnosis is not
made the chances are the dog was
healthy, but IL at the end of two weeks
there is still nothing to report the victim
can be sure the result is negative.
These Negri bodies looked for with such
care are irregular little black specks of
characteristic appearance and responding
to certain stains the scientists Sc on the mi
croscope slides. They are so called not
because they are black. but because they
were discovered by an Italian scientist
named Negri in 1903 and are the nearest
approach to 1.-The bug" Of rabies that any
one has found.
Unable to Discover Germ.
Many efforts have been made to isolate
the specific germ of rabies. for 1t is sus-
pected there is such germ. But the eff
fort has been unsuccessful. Virus bearing
the germ will pass through Birkenfeld
filter but it will be stopped by the finer