Year: 1877




The large increase in the number of cases
ofbvdropbobia, which has often been noted
in this country. seems 10 be exciting consid :
erable attention in England, and according
10 The London Times is producing some
thing like a pane in the public mind.
The comparative rarity OF this disorder,
our Ignorance OF its true character, and
its almost invariably fatal results give 1T
mysterious terrors. IL is generally believed
that the disease is a species OF blood poison
ing produced by incubation with the saliva
OF rsbid animal, and the fact tnat excislOn
o. the part affected and cauierization OF the
wound have often been followed by the re-
cOvery of the poisoned man is considered to
he conclusive proof of this theory. II the
commonly accepted view be correct, hydro
IECbia is without analogy among its kin
dred diseases by incubation, since no def
mite time can be assigned for the production
of its effects. Another theory is that the dis
ease is mainly nervous disorder, caused
sometimes by the wound alone, and some
times by the combined effect of the wound
and constant terror, similar to tetanus,
Of which the disorder called lockjaw is
the most familiar example, and to whose
characteristics those of hydrophobia bear a
strong resemblance. 1t common 10 dismiss
this view on the ground that the animals
from whom the disease is taken may fatally
inoculate other animals, who cannot be sup
posed TO understand the nature of their dan
ger ard to aggravate by intense dread the
nervous agitation caused by the wound. The
uphOlders of the theory reply by drawing
distinction between what is called rabies in
the animal and hydrophobia in man, aud
several marked differences in the character
istics of the two are pointed out. The rabid
animal, dog or a cat, sometimes a wolf
or a jackal, makes vain efforts to drink; the
sight or the sound of fluids throws the man
into terrible paroxysms. The disease may
be spontaneous in the animal Though this is
denied); In the man never. Since, even when
DO precautions are taken, hydropAobia fol-
lows the bite Of a rabid animal only in q
very small percentage OF cases, Ii is claimet
that the fact that bitten persons are sOme-
times not attacked by the disease after ex-
cislon or cauterization OF the wound, does
not prove that these precautions prevented
IL. The Upholders of the blOoi-poisOning
theory explain the enon-appearsnceO of the dis
order in the vast majority OF cases by sug-
gesting that the clothing of the person at
tackled may have intercepted the virus. On
the whole, we know very little that is GER
tain and positive ON the subject Many of
our time honOred notions such as the belief
that the "mad dog" avoids water, that he
is developed especially in the hot summer
months, etc, have been completely over
thrown and no positive knowledge put In
their place.


In our ignorance OF the character OF the
disease II is hard TO enumerate preventives.
But this much IS positively certain: the
greater the diff ulties placed by the author
tiles on the keeping OF dogs In large cities,
the smaller will be their number the aggre-
gate OF bites will be reduced, and fe wer cases
of hydrophobia viii result Owners OF dogs
may largely prevent the disease by seein e
that their pets are kept clean and have suffi-
cient exercise. The person attacked is ad-
test. bat TO convert his hat into a sort of
shield. If hydrophobia be kind of blood
poisoning, the bitten person may use with
advantage the knife or nitrate of silver, on
the wound. When the disorder is fairly
under way cure is believed to be hopeless.
But the Medical Times and Gazette, an Eng
lish publication, gives an Interesting ac-
count OF remarkable cure by the use of the
poison ctTdri, the juice of a tree or shrub, in
which the South American Indians dip the
points Of their arrows. This nuid produces
complete paralysis for the time being, A
hydrophobic patient was treated with IL,
muscular movement was rendered impossi-
bic; life was sustained by artificial respira-
ton, the tendency TO muscular spasm was
gradually worn out, and when the patient
recovered from the effects of the poison the
symptoms OF hydrophobia had disappeared.