Sect. XXII. 3. 3. AND IMITATION. 203 



ideas in fome rheafure fimilar or imitative of thofe, which we 

 believe to exift in the minds of the perfons, whom we commif- 

 erate or congratulate ? 



There are certain concurrent or fucceffive anions of fome of 

 the glands, or other parts of the body, which are poffeffed of 

 fenfarion, which become intelligible from this propeniityto imi- 

 tation. Of thefe are the production of matter by the mem- 

 branes of the fauces, or by the (kin, in confequence of the vene- 

 real difeafe previoui'y affecting the parts of generation. Since 

 as no fever is excited, and as neither the blood of fuch patients, 

 nor even the matter from ulcers of the throat, or from cutane- 

 ous ulcers, will by inoculation produce the venereal difeafe in 

 others, as obferved by Mr. Hunter, there is reafon to conclude, 

 that no contagious matter is conveyed thither by the blood-vef- 

 fels, but that a milder matter is foraaed by the actions of the fine 

 vefleis in thofe. membranes imitating each other. See Section 

 XXXIII. 2.9. In this difeafe the' actions of thefe veffels pro- 

 ducing ulcers on the throat and fkin are imperfect imitations of 

 thofe producing chancre, or gonorrhoea ; fmce the matter produ- 

 ced by them is not infectious, while th^ imitative actions in the 

 hydrophobia appear to be perfect refcmblances, as they produce 

 a material equally infectious with the original one, which indu- 

 ced them. 



The contagion from the bite of a mad do* differs from other 

 ..contagious materials, from its being communicable from other 

 animals to mankind, and from many animals to each other •, the 

 phenomena attending the hydrophobia are in fome degree expli- 

 cable on the foregoing theory. The infectious matter does not 

 appear to enter the circulation, as it cannot be traced along the 

 courfe of the lymphatics from the wound, nor is there any fwell- 

 ing of the lymphatic glands, nor does any fever attend, as oc- 

 curs in the fmall-pox, and in many other contagious difeafes ; yet 

 by fome unknown procefs the difeafe is communicated from, 

 the wound to the throat, and that many months after the injury, 

 fo as to produce pain and hydrophobia, with a fecretion of in- 

 fectious ialiva of the fame kind, as that of the mad dog, which 

 inflicted the wound. 



This fubjed is very intricate. — It would appear, that by cer- 

 tain morbid a£tions of the falivay glands of the mad dog, a pe- 

 culiar kind of faliva is produced \ which being inftilled into a 

 wound of another animal Itimulates the cutaneous or mucous 

 glands into morbid actions, but which are ineffectual in refpect 

 to the production of a fimilar contagious material ; but the fali- 



ry glands by irritative fympathy are thrown into fimilar action, 



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