Evening star., 1941-08-02
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.

| tIlcfu uuiHiB Tic Jug uhyo Vi July
and August-have been cut approx
mately in half in the United States In
the past six years.
Still, according to figures just COM
piled by the Bureau of the Census 700
persons have died from rabies during the
past decade and the summer of 1s4l
will add about 40 more.
Here is the death toll: 1899, 80: 1888
Sc; 1887, SO; 1896, 70; 1885, II; 1884, 90
The decrease has been brought about
largely by town and city ordinances re-
quiring that dogs be muzzled during the
hot weather. Around the turn of the
century there were about 200 deaths a
year.
Rabies is an acute, paralytic and rap
idly fatal virus disease. Without treat
ment the mortality is nearly 10e per cent.
| Every mammal is susceptible Al
| though nearly all cases in the country
are due to dog bites, there are cases on
record where it has followed bites of
skunks and even of bats.
The disease is more prevalent in hot
weather only because dogs run about
more freely, are more likely to pick up
the virus from others of their own kind
and transmit it to man. Actually, the
virus is more virulent during cold
weather.
In dogs the first symptom of rabies
consists only in change in the crea-
lures disposition. He is easily excited,
but does not show a tendency to bite.
Soon the restlessness becomes more
marked, and the animal may become
furious and show signs of delirium.
1t does not fear water, as is COM
monty supposed. but rushes about at
tacking every object In the way Sick
dogs have tendency to run long dis
tances-25 miles or more. Soon paralysis
sets in, starting with the hind legs, and
death occurs in five or six days The
symptoms in man are quite similar.
Not every person bitten by mad dog
develops rabies. Surveys show the Incl
dence rate at from to II per cent.
but the statistics are confusing.
Following bite, about 40 days usually
are required for the disease to develop.
In children, the period is apt to be much
shorter. In any event there usually is
plenty of time to forestall the fatal
malady by inoculation.
Great Britain now has completely elm
mated the disease by muzzling laws.
These were put into effect in 1899. fol-
lowing 672 cases in one year From 1905
TO 1918 not single case was reported.
A strict quarantine of six months is
maintained against all dogs entering
England. This was broken during the
first World War by the carrying of ami
mails across the channel in airplanes.
Rabies reappeared temporarily in 1918
but quickly was eliminated again.
Dog days" by the way, have nothing
to do with rabies. as is popularity sup
posed.
The term comes from Sirius, the dog
STAR" which rises just before the sun in
July and precedes it all day in its path
across the sky
1t is the brightest star in the heavens.
Consequently, the ancients, not know
ing that it was countless billions of miles
away, thought that its heat reinforced
that Of the sun and caused hot weather.
A man is far more apt to suffer q dis
abling accident outside the home or
factory than woman.
This finding has just been reported
from a United States Public Health
Service survey of accidents in public
places occurring among about $500. 900
persons in SO American cities. The study
was undertaken in part as a w. P. A.
project. Public accidents, it found, result
in more than $4,000 deaths a year, per
cent of all deaths and so per cent of all
accidental deaths in the country.
The annual rate for recorded accidents,
1t was found, is more than As per cent
higher for men than for women-7. 80
per thousand persons for the former and
$40 for the latter. More than half were
automobile accidents. There is an acci-
dent curve with age. For children under
the rate is only 1853 thousand. From
to IA it increases rapidly to an average
of 773 a thousand; and then drops to
5.78 for persons between rs and "A years.
For those IS years of age and older it
rises to 994 a thousand.
1t was found that the excess of male
over female accidents was due primarily
to the automobile Fifty-seven per cent
more men suffered crack-ups of some
kind. Exclusive of car accidents, how
ever, men were 81 per cent in the lead
The average period of disability from
all accidents in public places was 81 days,
and for all automobile accidents 1T was 81
days. This average increased steadily
from 81 days for children under to "a
days for persons over IS. For every age
group the frequency was higher for males
than for females.
A curious finding was that the greater
ones income, the less the likelihood of an
accident.
For public accidents involving auto
mobiles, the rate decreased progressively
with rise in, annual family income among
persons under Is years, did not vary sig
nifcantly with economic status between
Is and "a years, and decreased with in
comes up to 81 500 for persons between
IS and A, and up to $4,000 for those
of As to "a years.
For other accidents the rate is highest
for persons on relief. Also the proper
ton of persons having public accidents
was considerably higher among the
relief group.
Falls on streets or sidewalk ranked