Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1913-10-28
FEAR CHILD Is
BECOMING MAD
Peter Coogan, Jr., Bitten by
Dog Last Juns Acts Strange
ly About Home.
HAS NUMEROUS SPASMS
lmaginss his laws Are
Locked When Under Spell
Must be Keep Busy
HAS NUMEROUS SPASMS

Physicians of this city are baffled
with the strange case of Peter
Coogan, Jr., the eight-year-old son of
Mr.. and Mrs. Peter Coogan, of 200
Front street, who appears to have
become mentally and physically def
cient as the result of a dog bite in
flicted nearly five months ago. lie is
subjected to spells, numbering three
and four a day, during which he
seems to lose all reason and attacks
his relatives. During late attacks he
has imagined that his teeth were
dropping and that his jaws were go
ing to lock. AS yet none of the at
tending physicians have diagnosed
the case as one of rabies, but they
do declare the boys affliction is due
to the severe dog bit he received last
June. Mr.. and Mrs. Coogan fear that
their son may go mad. They are ex-
ercising every precaution to save him
and unless his condition changes
within the next few days they will
take him to a sanitarium or some
other place of rest.
The boy was stout and unusually
bright until about two weeks ago,
when he began to waste away and
lose his reasoning powers. The chief
aim of his parents is now to keep his
mind occupied to ward off the deliri-
Gus spasms. When reporter called
at the Coogan home this morning he
found the lad running clothes
through a wringer. This was one
method his parents had of keeping
him busy up to noon.
During some of the delirious at
tacks the lad has infrequently thrown
knives, scissors and the like at mem
bers of the family He was dismiss
ed from the public schools last
Thursday because the school authori-
ties could no longer tolerate him. Up
until two weeks ago he was one of
The brightest pupils of his age in the
local schools and he was a model
scholar. He seldom became irritated
and hardly ever attacked any person.
After school he played as other boys
I did and in the evening he read daily
papers. All of these traits have left
| him. He no longer finds rest in
reading and unless his mind is con-
stantly kept occupied with some live
ly doings spasm overtakes him.
These have lasted as long as an hour
at time, during which strenuous
methods must be employed to subdue
him.
According to Mr.. and Mrs. Coogan
the lad was knocked down and bit
ten on the leg by dog owned by
Augustus Larson at 1873 Front street.
He had solicited an order from Mrs.
Larson in an effort to earn a pre-
MUM of a pair of roller skates and
was delivering the material when he
was attacked in the yard of the Lar
son home. The dog was unusually
vicious and would probably have torn
him frightfully had he not screamed
for help. He afterwards ran crying
to his father and Dr.. I. Seigel was
summoned. The physician cauterized
the wound.
The boy is now under the care of
DR.. G. w. Fithian. The physician
has found 1t necessary to administer
double doses of an opiate to produce
sleep. Mere sight of dog frightens
the lad pale and he absolutely re-
fuses to sleep alone. A younger child
in the family is kept away from the
afflicted boy for fear that he may be
attacked by him.
Following report of the case to the
police, Dog Warden Albert Leonard
was instructed by Chief of Police
Burke today to exercise more Vigi-
lance in Kidding the city of straying
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