The CoHiifry Gcntlonans Magazine 



•i-D 



RABIES AND HYDROPHOBIA.'' 



THE talented author of " Horse Shoes and 

 Horse-Shoeing," "Animal Plagues," 

 and various standard works, has just issued 

 a magnificent volume on " Rabies and Hy- 

 drophobia," which cannot fail to satisfy the 

 desires of all who have had hitherto to 

 deplore the sad want of information on this 

 direful malady. 



The history of" Rabies and Hydrophobia" 

 has been traced from remote ages, and by 

 the records thus brought to light no 

 doubt can be entertained that the ancient 

 fathers of medicine were very conversant 

 with the disease as it appeared by inocula- 

 tion in mankind. Although the existence of 

 " Rabies and Hydrophobia " may have been 

 undoubted, there has been much difference of 

 opinion as to the influence of certain pas- 

 sions as well as external conditions, in 

 v/hich defective observation may have 

 played a conspicuous part. In consequeiice 

 of this, the origin of " rabies " in the dog has 

 almost in all cases been positively insisted 

 upon as due to contagion alone, the spon- 

 taneous origin being passively admitted as a 

 thing impossible. With regard to this the 

 author states, p. 86 : " No doubt the trans- 

 mission of the disease by inoculation, fur- 

 nishes by far the largest number of cases, 

 and many of these, from the manner in 

 which the inoculation has been effected, ap- 

 pear to be due to other causes than that of 

 a traumatic character; but, notwithstand- 

 ing, the disease must have had a commence- 

 ment. Several of the ancient Greek 

 and Roman writers, while admitting the 

 disease was contagious, nevertheless acknow- 

 ledge that, in the dog at least, it could 

 appear without the contagious element being 

 invoked. Our history shews that while 

 rabies has frequently followed the introduc- 

 tion of European dogs into new regions, it 



*Rabies and Hydrophobia : Their History, Nature, 

 Causes, Symptoms, and Prevention. ISy George Flem- 

 ing, M.R.C.V.S., F.R.G.S., M.A.J, and C, pp. 4^5, 

 Lodnon : Chapman & Ha'!. 

 VOL. IX. 



has also appeared in an epizootic form in 

 countries where it had been previously un- 

 known — as in Peru in 1803 — and its appear- 

 ance could not be traced to any foreign 

 source." 



In pursuing the subject as favourable to 

 spontaneous origin in certain instances, j\Ir 

 Fleming discusses, with no mean ability, the 

 many conditions, which, by modificadon, 

 severity of operation, &c., are likely to pro- 

 duce influences tending to the production of 

 rabies, and thus chapters on sex, climate, 

 age, hunger, thirst, exposure, &c., successively 

 follow, in which all known researches and in- 

 vestigations are carefully detailed, yet in 

 which the author scrupulously avoids lending 

 himself either to one conclusion or the other. 

 It is plainly evident, therefore, that the 

 object of the writer is to place before the 

 reader that which is actually known on the 

 subject, and by proclaiming a field still open 

 to the ambitious working student, encourage 

 him to take up the task and pursue it to- 

 wards completion. 



But the value of the work is far beyond the 

 mere records it professes to give. Copious 

 chapters are added on the nature and symp- 

 toms, &c., of hydrophobia in man, and many 

 other animals besides the dog, and v»-ell-exe- 

 cuted coloured plates accompany the text, 

 which convey an excellent idea of the ravages 

 v;hich the disease causes in the system. 

 Besides being a work suitable to the 

 veterinarian and medical man, the legislator 

 will find much that is useful in aiding him to 

 propound a solution of the question of deal- 

 ing with the dogs of our country, as a sub- 

 ject of paramount importance to the safety of 

 Her ]Majesty's subjects ; and every lover of 

 the dog will find in Mr Fleming's work 

 matter which must ever form standard infor- 

 mation on the proper management of that 

 faithful comi)anion. Numerous well-exe- 

 cuted woodcuts also embellish the work, 

 and the tout cnsembh- is altogether worthy of 

 the well-known publishers. 



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