Evening star., 1949-07-20
Increase of Rabies Held +
Serious in Past IS Years
$4,000 Forced to Take Vaccine
Yearly as Result of Dog Bites
Bv Thomas r. Henry

For the past Is years there has been an
alarming increase Of rabies through large
sections Of the country.
Every year more than 30 900 persons are
required to take the long and often painful
series Of vaccine inoculations as q result Of
being bitten by rabid or suspected dogs. The
annual cost to the country Of human vaccine
treatments and livestock losses amounts to
more than IS 100000.
Because Of this situation the United States
Public Health Service has set up a rabies
control center at Montgomery. Ala. with the
major object of standardizing methods Of
diagnosis and treatment. These now vary
greatly in efficiency in different States. and
this may be major reason for increase in
the prevalence of the dreaded malady.
Eradication Is Goal.
Eventual eradication of rabies from the
United States is not an unattainable goal"
say Drs. James H. Steele and Ernest s.
Tierkel OF the Public Health Service staff
in their report Of the progress of this project.
Its achievement can mark one Of mans
greatest victories over disease"
The first case was reported in the colonies
in 1853 and the malady spread with colonial
ton. finally reaching the Pacific Coast for
doctors report. is greatly complicated by the
presence OF the virus in wild animals as well
domestic dogs Wild-animal rabies now has
been found in all the States of the Ap-
palachian range from New York to Georgia
westward in the southern tier of States to
Eastern Texas, and in a Midwestern belt
which extends from Western Pennsylvania
through Iowa. Most Of the cases reported
are in foxes but infected civet cats, skunks
and coyotes also have been found.
With the development of effective vaccines.
md al ha iol,f
be entirely eliminated in domestic animals,
but there is no possibility of mass immuniza-
ton Of wild creatures.
China's 2,0O0- -year-old medicine may yield
some valuable germ killers to present-day
medicine.
A long list of the ancient drugs is being
surveyed for their possible content Of anti
biotics of the penicillin type, according to
a report to the National Association for the
Advancement Of Science here by Drs. H. z.
Cav and H. P. Wang of the National Wuhan
University.
Already eight have been found to contain
potent germ killers which at the same time
appear harmless to human blood cells.
The so-called Chinese drugs, they say, are
actually roots stems seeds, leaves or flowers
Of various higher plants in an extremely
dehydrated state. They originally came into
use on purely empirical basis. They showed
some actual value in alleviating sickness.
Aura of Legendry.
The reason was not understood. Often
the value was greatly exaggerated. An aura
of legendry grew up around these drugs.
Their potency often was attributed to super
natural reasons.
Still. it is explained. they often worked.
just as did the equally unScientif1c remedies
OF the American Indians which still were in
many ways quite superior to the European
pharmacopoeia Of the 18th century and some
of which have attained permanent place In
medicine. .,'5 p. -...s -
The eight drugs already extracted by, the
two Chinese doctors have a rather spro-
nounced ,bacteriostatic action. That Is; they
prevent bacteria from multiplying In test
tubes. and presumably would have much the
same effect On the human body. -sfzs-
f., Tested against blood cells, they appeared
to have no poisonous effect, The tendency
of antibiotics to cause anenia Is one Of
medicines present nightmares