The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-08-18
THE HYDROPHOBIA LEGEND

Your volunteer committee of one
begs to report progress in the hydro
phobia situation. Hydrophobia, the
chairman of the committee believes, is
akin to this depression malady which
has supplanted high tension and nerve
exhaustion in the affectaticn of the
Yankee nation. It may be that there
are millions out OF work, but that is
nothing new. There are always mil
lions out of work in this country, and
what's more they are determined to
stay out of work, even if they have to
go to Jail to do so. Only an occa-
sional poor sap goes to Jail to achieve
his inalienable American privilege.
When the occasional culprit does take
the rap. hundred thousand of us
other work dodgers breathe easy for
while. The only notable difference
that can determine between the mil
lions now out of work and the mil
lions normally out of work is that the
present loafers are amateurs at the
game, whereas We regular loafers or
white collar men are professionals.
Then, too, the amateurs are too hon
est-or too dumb-to do as we do.
They do as we say. We say honest
toll is noble thing. And so it is ii
you can arrange the system so that
the other fellow will keep on thinking
it is so.
Some months ago this column came
out unequivocally opposed to rabies as
human institution. In other words
declared, asserted and asSeverated
that there is no such thing as hydro
phobia, meaning rabies in man. At
the same time I conceded that rabies
prevails among domestic and wild an
! imals. I based my stand on the lack
of scientific proof of the occurrence
of such disease in man. It has never
been satisfactorily proved by the &C
copied criterion, Koch's law-that is,
no one has been able to show that a
characteristic disease can be produced
by inoculating a normal animal with
virus obtained in cultures from an an
| imal that has the disease. Then, too,
the laboratory diagnosis of rabies in
animals or man hinges on the Obser-
walton of rather vague "Negri bodies"
in the brain tissue, and sometimes
good pathologists disagree on the dag
nosis in given instance, one believ-
! ing he sees the Negri bodies, the other
being as positive they are not pres
ent. So far as alleged cases of human
| rabies are concerned, the best physi-
clans who have been privileged to OBJ
serve such cases usually disagree on
the diagnosis.
So there we are. But mark you, if
were bitten or wounded or scratched
| by an animal presumed to be rabid,
I'd want to have the benefit Of the
doubt. I'd want the animal confined
under competent veterinary observa-
ton for two weeks; if the veterinary
surgeon assured me at the end of that
period that the animal presented no
suspicious sign or symptom of illness,
I'd forget it. If the veterinary sur
geon could not be positive, I'd want
to have the Pasteur anti-rabies treat
ment started Immediately. If the an
imal were not captured and there was
any question of rabies, I'd want the
anti-rabies injections right away. If
the animal were killed, I'd want the
head Immediately packed in ice and
sent at once to the pethologist desig-
mated by the local health authority. or
/, if such pathological laboratory were
maintained in the community then
the head could be taken there without
bothering to pack 1t in ice; and I'd
want the Pasteur treatment started If
the pathologist's report were positive,
or saved for some one who might need
it more If the report were negative.