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

Editor Washington Post: 1t is re-
markable that erroneous impressions
often take possession of the mind and
remain for an indefinite period, Great
/ ing an unnatural and undesirable men
! tai or physical condition.
During the thirteenth century one
/ of the greatest decisions the world
has ever known made it's appearance
/ in Europe. People would suddenly lose
control of their senses and begin to
dance and scream, and this would
continue with undated fury until the
patient fell completely exhausted, and
death frequently resulted. The bite
of a spider, named the tarantula, was
/ thought to have been the cause of this
simulated disease. Music was recon-
says: "Fiddlers followed in the fields
and played music when the harvesters
were bitten" Gradually the scare di-
minished, and finely entirely disap-
peared and now any one can be bitten
by this insect and not become taran-
tisic.
No Rabies When There Is No Fear.
call attention to this delusion to
emphasize the fact that hydrophobia
scares are similar in character and if
there is no fear of the disease, rabies
will not appear in any human being.
Desiring to inform myself in regard
to the experience of those who are
continually coming in contact with
dogs and are frequently bitten, | have
written to the officials of many of
the large cities of the United States
who have control of the departments
that catch dogs to give me informal
ton. | could fill a page of the Post
with the information | have obtained,
and no person employed as keeper
of a kennel or as a breeder of dogs,
or as dog catcher as far as | have
been able to learn, has ever had bad
results from the bite of a dog.
Mrs. George S. Lowell secretary
Pennsylvania Women's S. p. c. A.,
writes from Philadelphia: No dog
catcher employed by us has ever had
hydrOphobia. have never heard of
the men manifesting any fear of the
results when bitten" In a letter writ
ten to the Philadelphia Public Ledger
Mrs. Lowell says AT the Philadel
phia dog pound, where on an average
5000 vagrant dogs, many of whom are
sick, are taken in annually and where
the catchers and keepers are fire,
quently bitten while handling them
no case of hydrophobia has been
known to exist"
Bitten 1900 Times; Escapes Disease.
Daniel l.. Bangert, general secreta-
ry Maryland s. P. c. A., writes from
Baltimore: We have never had any
employe connected with our society
for the past ten years, that has had
any bad results from dog bites. One,
Harry Miller, our Oldest catcher, has
been bitten at least 1900 times, and he
has never, as yet, had any bad re-
, suits. In some cases, where the men
have any fear, they Immediately eau
terize the wound with caustic stick
In other cases, one drop of carbolic
acid is applied to the affected part,
followed by one drop nitric acid, and
busted with bicarbonate of soda"
Alfred Wagstaff, president of the
American S. P. c. A., writes from New
York City: Our dog catchers have
seized over 100000 dogs since 1894
and have been repeatedly and severe
ly bitten on their hands, faces, and,
in fact, on all parts of the body.
Some of the Dogs Were Mad.
"On number of occasions they
have been bitten by dogs which were
supposed to be rabid and in several
instances, according to the Pasteur
Institute, the autopsy has shown the
dogs were mad. Aside from observ,
ing the ordinary precautions, such as
having the wounds thoroughly clean
ed and cauterized, no treatment has
been given, and it is needless to say
none of the men has ever developed
hydrophobia
George P Weinbrenner, city mar,
shal ST. Louis, says; q beg to advise