New Britain herald., 1914-08-01
Rabies and Dog Days.
(Norwich Record.)

The coming of the dog days" es- pecially if the season happens to bring with it one or more prolonged heated periods. attracts the attention of the public generally much more to the danger from rabies than do definite reports of the spread of the disease at other seasons of the year, which ought to arouse solicitude. Boards of aldermen, city councils and town officials of other kinds wake up from the most absolute lethargy with re- gard to the disease at this time and, especially in the smaller towns and country places, pass ordinances and revive regulations requiring dogs to be muzzled while on the streets. This Is all the more amusing because the term dog days has no reference to dogs, but is borrowed from the Ro- mans, who called Sirius, the brightest of the fixed stars, the dog star At one time during the Roman epoch, the rising of this star cofncided with the rising of the sun in the latter part of July. The twenty days preceding and the twenty days following this conjunction were for the Romans dies canis, the days of the dog--or the dog-star. Rome had its fiercest heats usually during this period; therefore, the time was dreaded and came to have the reputation of an unhealthy season, though not with any special reference to the dogs of Rome. In
 our day the popular meaning of the "dog-days' is that dogs are especially
 likely to go mad at this time. The consequence is that, while the animals are made uncomfortable by nose mug zling, their discomfort is greatly added to by the foolish dread which keeps people from giving them water or car ing for them properly. Rabies may occur at any season of the year; the actual statistics show greater fre- quency of the disease during the win ter than during the summer months. It is most common in the early spring. and March and April would be much better time to select for dog days" in the popular sense than the weeks of July and August that have been by misapprehension come to be looked on as the special period of danger.
 The recent Seattle epidemic shows how much of real danger there Is from this disease when it gains foot hold because of neglect of proper preca autions. Surgeon Lloyd of the public health service recently report ed that up to the beginning of June there had been 361 cases of canine rabies in the city of Seattle since the outbreak of the disease began in Sep tember. Up to this time the disease had not been observed in Seattle.
 This is what may occur practically anywhere in this country if the in- frequency of the disease begets over confidence and neglect. Although we disapprove the infliction of unneces- sary suffering on animals. says The Journal of the American Medical as- sociation, the popular dread of dogs during the misunderstood dog-days affords to physicians an educational opportunity too good to be lost This is the time when they may profitably emphasize the need for special pre- cautions with regard to the spread of rabies. The problem of the con- trol of rabies is mainly the care ot stray animals and of those that have no proper owner, but live more pr less on the bounty of the community. Careful registration or animals ana the destruction of those for Whlch no one would assume responsibility To the extent of paying a yearly license would greatly limit the disease. The problem is simpler in England, but the success in practically obliterating the disease for the last twenty years in that country shows what can De |. ccom nIished. We need intelligent nersistent scientific interest to pre- vent the spread of the disease and not the annual attack of hysterfa that i'm fiicts cruelty without accomplishing any good purpose