The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-12-29

though all warm-blooded animals, in
Guiding man, are susceptible to it.
MANY years of patient scientific re-
search have been required to lead
these investigators to clear compre'
hension of the nature and Characters
tics of this disease. It was known
and described several centuries prior
to the beginning of the Christian era,
and from the dawn of history the dis
ease has been feared and dreaded. But
it has been only in comparatively re-
cent years that we have arrived at
tolerably clear understanding of the
facts concerning this disease, which
have to a certain degree displaced
many of the fallacies and superstl-
tons that have had a strong hold
upon the public mind for years. In
deed, it is still widely prevalent be-
lief that if persons or animals are bit
ten by a dog they are liable to become
rabid if the dog should contract the
disease at any future time. There is
no foundation for this impression, and
it would be a great comfort to many
people who are now anu then bitten
by animals if the fallacy of this idea
were appreciated All experience, both
scientific and practical goes to show
that rabies is transmitted only by ami
mails that are actually diseased at the
hit, to In
So much for the skepticism and the
superstition attending upon this dis
: ease. Columns upon columns have
l. been written in practically every news
/ paper in every community where the
! disease has made it's appearance, and
the local dog catcher invariably occu-
1ins a prominent place, suggesting
5 that he cannot have had time to do
t much else but to sit around and let
D the dogs bite him. But the same arti.
p Gle above quoted shows definitely that
n rabies has been on the increase to an
a alarming extent for the past ten years
!. throughout the United States, until in
c 1910 the official and authentic reports
Q of state and municiple health officers
!. show that the disease occurs in al.
d most every state in the Union, and the
o only places where it has been impos
n sible to obtain positive Information Of
q its occurrence are Idaho, Utah, Nevada
n and Oregon" and now, according 0
@ the editorial in the Star the disease
d has appeared among the cattle in the
latter state. And if the Oregon State
l. Board of Health says so, the Star may
+ take it for granted that it is so, for
e rabies is a disease the presence Of
,-i which is never announced officially UNI
e less its occurrence is proven by ami
f NAL inoculation-a proof which cannot
t be disputed.
r In conclusion just line i'm regard
r to the prevalence of rabies IN the state
n of California. In his biennial report
g G9O9-191O) the state veterinarian for
e California says; Rabies is now en-
e demic in California previous
l. ly described an outbreak with several
) hundred cases of rabies among dogs
J. and cattle in Los Angeles, Stockton,
4 Pasadena and the surrounding coun-
try. How does that agree with the
J" Stars statement to the effect that Cal
+ ifOrnia boasts that they never had a
+ mad dog within their limits?"
And finally, having had charge, for
= six years, of the rabies investigations
+ of the federal bureau of animal indus
. try in Washington, d. c., don't hest
tate to say that | would rather blow
my brains out than have it charged 10
me that one single case Of hydrophobia
in man, woman or child in these is
lands could be ascribed to failure on
my part, directly or indirectly, to have
prevented the introduction of the dis
ease here.
VICTOR A. NORGAARD,
Territorial Veterinarian.
Honolulu, Dec. 28, 1911.
ONE ADVANTAGE.