The Columbia evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1920-1923, 1922-06-17
DOGS TRANSMIT
HYDROPHOBIA
Doctor Ravenel Discusses Ma
ture and Cure of This
Disease.

'Hydrophobia' is the name given to a
disease which is scientifically known as
rabics,'' according TO DIR. NJ. P. Ravenel,
I; professor of preventive medicine at the
University. 1T is disease of the canine
species, but is transmitted from dogs and
other animals Of that species. such as
wolves and coyotes. to human beings, as
well as to many other animals. The term
! 'hydrophobia' means fear of water, and
is seen only in human beings. 1t is not
characteristic Of the lower animals, as
dogs will swim streams and try to drink
just preceding death. The disease is al
ways spread by bite or wound Of some
sort and cannot be communicated in any
other way.
There is a popular impression that
rabies is caused BY heat. lack Of drink
ing water, and such things, and is par
ticularly liable to occur during dog
days Dog days is an astronomical term,
and is applied TO that period Of the year
when the dog star, Sirius is above the
horizon at the same time that the sun is.
In this latitude, the period runs from
July 3 to August IL, and corresponds to
what is the hottest pan of the year, but
in the southern hemisphere exactly the
reverse is true.
''Hydrophobia cannot be caused except
from an existing case of hydrophobia
through bite or other wound into which
the saliva of the sick animal is inocu.
lated. The treatment is entirely pre-.
ventive. There is no cure and no record
Of recovery from the disease. Dogs
should be licensed, and stray dogs done
away with. The well-kept and cared-for
dog is, Of course, not exempt from rabies.
but is not apt to contract the disease ex-
cept when introduced by some stray dog.
when person is bitten, the proper
treatment is to enlarge the wound with a
clean knife, have it bleed freely, wash
in warm water, and cauterize, preferably
with pure nitric acid. Next to nitric
acid, strong tincture Of iodine is proba.
bly, the best material, and next to that,
ordinary lunar caustic or nitrate Of sill
yer. Free bleeding and washing lessons
the danger tremendously. as the poison is
not absorbed very rapidly.
Where the bite is superficial and can
be thoroughly gotten at, and is treated
as described, no further precautions are
usually necessary, but if the treatment is
not applied promptly. or the bite is deep
and ragged, the Pasteur treatment should
be applied. This treatment is a vaccine
and requires from ten to eighteen days
for its administration. The ten-day
treatment now obtainable from several
commercial laboratories is perfectly eff.
ficient. The treatment already prepared.
including syringe for injection and d.
rections, can be obtained promptly at the
patients home and administered by his
attending physician, so that there is no
necessity for his leaving home.
Popular treatments, such as mad
stones. are inefficient. They have no Pc
culiar power whatsoever TO cure persons
bitten by mad dogs. Only sixteen peo-
pie out Of every hundred contract by.
drophobia, so that it is not a very con-
tagious disease to human beings, and this
fact accounts for the reputation Of such
things as the maidstone, because eighty.
four out Of every hundred people bitten
will get well anyhow A slight scratch
from a really mad dog, untreated, can
produce hydrophobia. SO that every pre-
caution must be taken"