On Hydrophobia. 29 



which patients having taken such remedied have escaped. 

 First, because many bites are inflicted by animals which are 

 not diseased, but only supposed to be so. Secondly, If the 

 animal be decidedly mad, all of those on whom the bite is 

 inflicted are not the subjects of the disease, some of them 

 escaping independently of any medicine. \ 



After the symptoms have made their appearance, there 

 are some remedies which appear to have had so full a trial, 

 that their exhibition should be totally laid aside in future. 

 Of these are the Ormskirk medicine, musk, mercurials, 

 bleeding, warm bath, and opium ; and therefore, in con- 

 ducting the treatment hereafter, I would propose in the 

 first place, that we should seek for a specific among those 

 articles of the materia medica which are known to exert 

 strong effects upon the body. Among the metallic prepa- 

 rations, I would more particularly recommend a trial of those- 

 of lead, copper, zinc, and lastly of arsenic. Among the 

 vegetables, tobacco, cicuta, aconite, henbane, &c. Several 

 remedies of this description may be administered at the same 

 time. 



But while we are endeavouring in this way to find out 

 a specific for the poison of hydrophobia, I would not 

 neglect other objects, which appear to be of consequence, 

 and which do not interfere with it. Thus, I should en- 

 deavour to administer frequent clysters composed of broth, 

 milk, and other nutritious articles. Various antispasmodics 

 may be combined and employed in the same form, for it is 

 in vain to expeet that the patient can swallow so frequently 

 as would be necessary to the fair trial of such remedies. 

 Camphor, asa foetid a, castor, aether, Sec, may all be com- 

 bined in the form of clyster, and injected every second 

 or third hour. When these different plans have been tried, 

 if the disease should still baffle our endeavours, let us 

 not continue tame witnesses of so melancholy a spectacle, 

 but proceed to methods which no other situation could jus- 

 tify — I mean that of injecting into the blood vessels va- 

 rious active remedies, having previously tried upon animals 

 (as some kind of guide) in what quantities they can be re- 

 ceived 



