The Washington times., 1925-08-21
FOWLER
STRESSES
NEED
Even Those Who Can Afford
Treatment Must Send
Away for Antitoxin

Rabies, one of the most dreaded
diseases in the medical lexicon,
finds Washington defenseless.
A poor person, bitten by q mad
dog, is practically helpless and
may die in agony, while physi-
clans stand by helpless.
Even Rich Suffer
Even the well-to-do, who can af-
ford to telegraph out-of.town lab.
oratories for the expensive Pasteur,
anti-toxin. must wait for the serum's
arrival by express, while the disease
progresses.
The truth is that Washington,
with it's great Federal and District
agencies to combat disease and save
lives, has no means Of furnishing
adequate treatment for rabies within
twenty-four hours.
The Public Health Service, the
District Health Department, the
Hygenic Laboratory--Ilon has the
serum. The Board of Charities has
not the funds to buy the treatment
for INDECENT persons who have been
exposed to the often fatal disease.
The board sends such cases to local
, hospitals, which may or may not
be able TO get the serum in time.
Doctor William c. Fowler, Dis
trict health officer. said today that
while the percentage of deaths from
| rabies is small, the danger is al
ways present wherever there are
unmuzzled dogs or other household
pets.
The Congressional allowances to
the health department are barely
sufficient to cover the current
needs of Doctor Fowler's office. and
certainly are not enough to provide
for the maintenance of a Pasteur
laboratory, said Doctor Fowler.
THE establishment of a munich
pal laboratory to manufacture anti
rabic serum" he stated, would
mean the employment Of additional
skilled personnel, more quarters
and a constant supply of rabbits,
which are used in making the
serum"
Did Have Laboratory Here
Until about five years ago. when
the heavy hand of economy fell
upon the Federal establishments,
the Hygienic Laboratory main
tanned a small laboratory to make
the serum. This, however, has been
discontinued.
The Pasteur treatment consists
of from fourteen to twenty-one in
jections Of the serum. Each in
lection means the death of an
artificially infected rabbit. The
variance in the dosage depends
upon the time the bite wound
takes to heal. Failure to heal
shows infection.
Credit is due to Luther FOwkes,
of 709 II street southwest. ana X.
G.. Thring, of 5517 Conduit road
northwest, who late yesterday ask
ed The Washington Times to in
yestigate the question OF rabies
and it's treatment in the District.
They were motivated by the re-
cent case of family in moderate
circumstances in southwest Wash
ington.
Three in Family Bitten
Three members of this family
were bitten by a mad cat, suspected
of having rabies. The cost of the
serum for all was $105. The family
did not have that much ready
money in the house.
FrlenQS ITdHllCdlly Cdl+Sh IhO va
rious departments and bureaus OF
the Federal and local governments.
TO see if some relief might pe
given. But their efforts were fruit
less Finally the attending physi-
clan agreed to furnish half the
price of the serum.
Medical authorities do not pre-
tend to know how long a case Of
ra bies may progress before show
ing definite symptoms of the dis
ease. All agree that treatment
should be given az soon as posi-
BILE.
Even the injection of serum will
not always prevent the distressing
ma manifestations Of the disease which
occur while rabies is in the blood.
A weakened organic condition may
defeat the work of the serum and