The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-05-26

situation, because the authorities have not been equipped to deal with the outbreak and because those methods have not been according to the best recognized practice.
 There Is no particular reason why with proper precautions the south should be overrun with this disease. Rabies is not a hot waether trouble Experience has shown that it is usual ly more prevalent in the cooler sea- sons. But, like many other places, you have had an epidemic of the dis ease, a considerable number of people have been bitten. many have taken the Pasteur treatment and hundreds of dogs have been killed. You turned your police abroad with firearms dogs of all kinds were shot on sight, no dis crimination was exercised, but every thing seemed to be directed on the principle that if only enough dogs were shot rabies would be stamped out.
 "The method has failed Rabies has not been stamped out A tiny babe is amongst those taking the treatment, an rabid dogs are admittedly at large.
 T do not underestimate the serious ness or the disease nor the importance of the public being adequately pro- tected. But your methods have been wrcng. In the first place, it is not good policy to kill a dog immediately be- cause it has bitten some person.
 Tn justice to the victim, the imme- diate precautions should be the cau- te1ization of the wound and the dog should be captured and segregated. be- ing kept under close observation for 10 days. That observation is probably the haSt aF 5nCidinorf if ba C a Q is one of rabies.
 Should the dog die the brain should De examined to decide if the one test con- firms the other If the dog should not die it might be destroyed at the end Of the 10-day period and the brain then examined. In the event that both tests proved negative I believe most experts would say there was no need to undergo the Pasteur treatment. and If this course had been followed probably many people would have been spared the unpleasant ness of that experience.
 When you destroy the animal you destroy an important part of your evil dence. because the brain test is not 100 per cent conclusive.
 "Unfortunately your city has not at it's pound-which is very poor affair-the facilities for segregating dogs which have bitten people. You have no individual cages. and apart from that the place is unsuitable and by no means creditable to a city which collects, I am told, sl5,000 yearly from the sale of dog licenses In many cities the dog work is handled by a humane society underl contract with the local authority, and well equipped humane society with an efficient man. ager can usually go one better than the city authority.
 Tt Is work requiring expert handling, must be kept up all the time, every stray dog must be seized and should be kept alive at least 4S hours, and every dog which has bitten a person should be quarantned for at least 10 days.
 "The Birmingham society is coming along, has secured a site for an animal shelter, and I suggest that when the society is equipped for the purpose and in position to undertake the work the city should turn over that duty under a reasonable contract. If that is done believe it will be the best protection fo. the public against a grave menace. But you will never wipe out rabies by means of wholesale killing. With another pur- pose in view Herod once tried similar plan, but it failed just as mas the B!r- ningham effort"