Year: 1875

We advise people not to be frightened
by the latest reported case of hydropho-
bia. 1t is the popular belief that this
disease is caused as the rule by the bite
of a mad dog, but according to the re-
ports of the death of Andrew Jackson,


which occurred in Brooklyn, and who is
said by the physicians to have lost his
life by hydrophobia, there seems to be
no more reason for this belief than for a
good many others which are carefully
cherished apparently for the sole pur-
pose of making people unhappy. Some
nine weeks ago Mr.. Jackson borrowed a
large Newfoundland dog from his en-
ployer and took it to his own house.


He was very fond of the dog and kept it
at home the next day. On his coming
into the house in the evening the dog,


which had manifested homesickness
during the day, became extremely play
full, and in jumping about, in its glad
ness to see him, struck one of its teeth
against the mans lips, just breaking the
skin. The man was alarmed at once,
and carefully washed the wound out, al
though he did not cauterize it. The
next day he took the dog home, and
told his employer what had happened.


The latter took the animal at once to q
dog fancier and told him to watch the
animal carefully for signs of madness.


Nothing peculiar was seen in the con-
duct of the dog, which was finally re-
turned to its owner, and is now said to
be in the country and in good health.


From the moment of receiving the in
jury Mr.. jackson seems to have been
thoroughly frightened, although the
wound healed up and physicians whom
he consulted assured him that he was in
no danger, he continually brooded over
the subject. His friends tried to laugh
him out of his fears, and he would con-
fess that he had no ground for his
anxiety. Nevertheless his terror re-
mained and increased, and finally he
died in fearful agony, his illness and
death being attended with all the well
known signs of hydrophobia. The physi-
clans soy that it was of hydrophobia that
he died. Now, if the facts of this case
are correctly reported, it seems clear
either that the contact of a healthy dogs
teeth with human flesh will produce
hydrophobia, or else that Mr.. jackson s
disease and death were caused by imagi-
nation. Heretofore it has been difficult
enough to procure scientific evidence
that the intentional bite of mad dog
will produce hydrophobia, and it there
fore seems impossible of belief that an
accidental bruise inflicted by the teeth
of dog in sound condition will occasion
this horrible malady. On the other
hand, many diseases are made more
severe, and even fatal, by the fear of the
patient, and the imagination alone is
fully capable of producing fears which
for the time being are as painful as if
they were caused by something real.
This case then appears to show that
hydrophobia may be caused by intense
and persistent fear of it, and to show
nothing else. During the approaching
hot season (when dogs are mistakenly
supposed to be more dangerous than in
colder seasons of the Year, our citizens
should see to it that they are not de-
luded into supposing that they are in
danger of hydrophobia, since that de-
lusion in this instance seems to have
been the sole cause of the fatal malady.