The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1911-03-24

g. seizes him. Meanwhile
he gives a hundred warn.
ings. All that is neces-
sary is 20 chain him.
That this piece of information has
not been given publicity before, ex.
cept In the Ease of q few New Eng
land towns, is due to the general lack
OF caution, but. with the alarming in
crease of rabies both in animals and
men. It has become essential. Too
many dogs are going mad every day.
Something will have to be done about
1t. The disease is now so prevalent
that 1t is pertinent to ask:
Is your dog going mad 200?
This question may strike you as I'M
necessarily alarming. especially If you
happen to live where there have never
been any mad dogs, In that case you
are to be congratulated. Places with
such a record are becoming rare. Your
turn may be next.
Left to spread as far as 1t might,
with practically no attempt to stop It,
rabies during the past few years has
become thickly disseminated over the
whole of the United States, except the
far West. Along the Atlantic coast
and in the middle West, both North
and South, there is hardly a district
unaffected by 1t. and each additional
dog that goes mad is carrying 1t as
far as he car travel in two or three
days time. 1t has arrived at the point
where it threatens everyone, and, If 1t
were not for the twenty-five or more
institutions which are nov 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 1t had never appeared
as much Of a danger in America, al
though mad dogs had shown them
selves at intervals for more than a
century. Each in itself had always
been a terrifying object. but the num-
bers were comparatively scarce.
Conservative estimates of the med
zeal men and boards of health place
the number Of deaths annually from
this dread disease at 20, 200.
The question of what to do is also
before this country. Two courses are
open: policing and a study of the dis
ease which may lead to its prevention.
Effective policing has always meant
a rigid muzzle and leash law and the
chloroforming 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 a few
months g when some of the virus
was needed in a research laboratory
IN Liverpool 1t had to be obtained out
side the country. Berlin has practical
ly eradicated the disease within the
city following an epidemic during
which a dog went mad on the streets
every day. Paris, overcoming a sen
timental opposition, reduced the mss
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 the 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 a mixture of the
two. The furious is the most import
ant.
The first action on the part of g
dog which points to furious rabies II
a marked and unusual restlessness
He jumps up constantly without cause
and is representative to light ant
sound. He snoops in dark ant
Hicks everything nervously. He be
comes ELUSIVE in his affection, and hi.
master, wondering, feels that there II
trouble, and asks the DOOR dumb brut,
what ails him.
Then, all at once, his disposition
changes. He snaps suddenly, and tn,
next instant wags his tail in apolog,
for his action. In a moment he snap
again. Meanwhile he eats and drink
normally and shows no sign of paraly
sis, which WI have been taught to Loo
for when rabies is suspected.
The restlessness increases in a wa,
taat can hardly fail of notice, an
then a night comes when he gives Ii
tie gasping bowls, which sound as
they had been choked off in the mid
die. Anyone who has ever heard thi
howl knows instinctively that there 1
something wrong. There is no conful
ing it with the ordinary barking a
passing or imaginary objects, and
sounds nothing at all like baying 9
the noon. The howls are ~senseles
and the hearer realizes it.
At first the dog remains near tn
house, giving his master ample tim
to take action. In fact he forces th
attention of everyone within hearin
and spreads a vague uneasiness. HI
bowls get on the nerves of those witt
in doors and they are rather apt I
cali out to him to be still. Some con
ment is probably made on the peculia
effect his bowling has. A timid men