The Wilmington morning star., 1940-08-08
Medical Care
By LOGAN CLENDENING, M. D

Mad dog scares are likely to
be prevalent just now, although
they may occur any time of year.
Naturally it is a time Of great
emotional stress and calm com
mon sense is at a premium.
Rabies is not a very contagious
disease. for man and there are
plenty of records of humans hav.
ing been bitten, taken no treat.
ment, and never having developed
the disease. A valuable report from
Birmingham. Alabama, shows that
negroes are quite Indifferent about
it and seldom apply for treatment,
and yet there have been no deaths
from rabies for five years in Birm.
ingham.
The germ Of rabies gets into the
saliva and hence the mouth of a
rabid animal is always full Of the
contagious matter. When the dog
bites another animal or a human
being the virus is carried into the
wound and is carried by the blood
stream to the nervous system. The
animal in the later stages is para
lyzed and seldom bites, but the
saliva may be slobbered in a cut or
scratch on the hand.
To the Vet
The most important thing to do
after an animal has bitten or other
wise infected a human being is to
see that the animals carcass is
taken to a responsible veterinary
or health department pathologist.
1t is by no means best to kill
the animal, but put it under OBJ
%servation for ten days or two
weeks. If typical symptoms devel-
op, treatment of humans who were
exposed need not be further de-
layed. Typical changes in the ner-
vous system can be seen under
the microscope-the so-called ne
gri bodies. Unless the animal is
prepared and examined there is no
basis whatever for arriving at a
whether preventive in-judgment of
o%culation should be done or not.
For actual bites or scratches
mad by the teeth or claws, treat
ment is always advisable. In the
case of bites above the shoulders
or multiple decorations treatment
should be begun Immediately and
can be discontinued if the animal
proves not to be rabid. For most,
however, it is usually safe to de-
lay treatment until a definite dag
nosis a be made. When children
have had intimate contact with an
animal that later becomes rabid,
treatment is advisable even if no
open sore or bite is present.
Judgment Difficult
Treatment is not advised follow.
ing contamination Of old cuts,
sores or abrasions; ''pinches" in
which the skin is broken but the
clothing neither torn mol penetrat-
ed; handling, eating with, sleeping
with or kissing any animal which
is living fourteen days from the
time Of such contact; bites from
tleas from rabid animals.
The cases where judgment is diff
ficult are nervous people who have
an exaggerated dread of rabies and
who have done no more than ham
Ole the rope of the animal which
afterwards went rabid. For such
cases it is best to acquiesce and
give the treatment.
Complete reliance on the effec-
tivness Of anti-rabies vaccine is
never justified, and cauterization
OF wounds made by the animal,
with strong nitric acid, is neces-
sary.
Questions And Answere
Reader-"A young girl has used
so much medicine for sinus trouble
that her face has become blue. Is
there any cure for this?"
Answer presume that this is
due to the deposit of silver salts
from the use Of argyrol in the nose.
Some methods of treatment have
ben advocated but they are un-
certain and troublesome. This
serves as a very valuable warning
against the continued and indis-
criminate use of silver. salts in the
nose. Many cases of this kind have