Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-11-01

CLAIMS VICTIM
First Death From This
Cause in Ottumwa Occurs
at the City Hospital
WOMAN BITTEN BY
DOG LAST MONTH
dBO alRlS
slH elrls lat Iowa City for
Twenty-one Days; Taken
Ill Very Suddenly

Hydrophobia claimed its first victim
In Ottumwa last evening at S:45
o'clock when Mrs. George l.. Carlyle,
residing short distance north OF OF.
tnmwa died in commissions at the OF.
tumwa hospital. She had been
patient in the institution but matter
OF hours when death ended her suffer
Ing The bite that is responsible for
the awful fate of the decedent was re-
ceived from dog belonging to Tom
Ratliff Of north of the city over seven
weeks ago.
Bitten Last Month.
The Carlyle family were living on
the Tom Ratliff farm north of Ottum-
wa when the woman and her little
daughter, Anna aged five years, were
bitten by the Ratliff dog. This took
place on Tuesday, September 8. Two
days later the mother and daughter
left for Iowa City to receive treatment
at the state Pasteur institution and
were discharged after the twenty-one
days, coming home apparently cured.
Two pigs that were bitten by the
same dog, died in the meantime In
commissions that are symptoms of
bydrophobia. The same dog is said to
have been in a fight with and bitten
other, dogs in the neighborhood Doc
tors Albert and Allen in charge OF the
Pasteur treatments at Iowa City, re-
quested that these dogs be penned up
and watched and asked for the head of
the dog that did the biting. This
dog in the meantime having been shot,
It's head was so badly shattered that
portion of the brain desired by the
Iowa City doctors could not be sent.
Following the return Of Mrs. Carlyle
and little daughter from Iowa City.
they seemingly improved and were ap-
parently recovering as Is usual after
the treatment. This was more espec-
tally true of the child than her mother
Eel. Badly Sunday.
On Sunday Mrs. Carlyle complained
of feeling badly and continued to grow
worse until Wednesday, when she was
taken with convulsion. A physician
was called and that night she had the
second attack. Thursday she had the
third attack and was brought to the
hospital at noon, suffering from the
fourth convulsion as she was carried
into the building from the conveyance
in which she came. During the after
noon and evening until her death she
had less severe attacks.
The Pasteur institute at Iowa City
was called late in the day and advice
sought as to the case in that 1t was
the first of. the kind that had ever
been brought to the local hospital and
it was not known when the patient en-
tered just what her ailment was. DR..
Albert of Iowa City. made ready to
come to Ottumwa to lend his aid, but
before he was able to leave Iowa City
he was informed by telephone Of the
death of the patient This is said to
be the third case among the many that
have been treated in the state institu,
ton where death resulted and 1t is be.
lieved by the Iowa City physicians
that treatment applied earlier than
was done in this case might have
saved the life of the woman as two
days elapsed before she reached the
Pasteur institute after being bitten.
Throughout her stay in the hospital
| the patient seemed conscious and told
the attendants that her first convulsion
was suffered following drink OF
water. The fact that hydrophobia vic
tins have dread of water, confirmed
earlier suspicious Of the hospital