No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 493 



the bite of a rabid animal, the yirns being contained principally in 

 the saliva, and in an immense majority of cases the dog is the offend- 

 ing party. The cat, wolf, cow and horse also suffer from this dread- 

 ful disease, and in rare instance they communicate it to man. 



The history of one bitten by a mad dog is something like this: 

 The period in which you are liable to become mad after receiving the 

 wound is six weeks to three montlis. The usual i)remonitory symptoms 

 are fever, headache, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, great depression of 

 spirits, and sometimes darling pains radiating from the seat of the 

 bite and the glands tliat are near the wound become swollen. 



The invasion is in two stages: First, the stage of excitement, the 

 patient wearing an expression of the most intense anxiety, and the 

 special sense exhibit the most keen vigilance, such as a draft of 

 air or noise of any kind may cause great disturbance or violent spasms. 

 Quite early, the mere sight of water is dreaded by the patient. This 

 symptom is so prominent that has given the name to the disease — 

 Hydrophobia. The mere sight of water causes great spasms to the 

 throat, the patient Itnving tjiirst that he cannot control. Tlif muscles 

 of the mouth exhibit convulsive movements, causing the patient to 

 make sniflling sounds, and foaming saliva may be ejected from the 

 mouth. 



The second stage, is the paralytic stage, the patient passing into 

 actual unconsciousness without spasms. This lasts IS hours and 

 always ends in death. 



How shall we know if one has Hydrophobia? If the patient has 

 fever, shows great uneasiness after he has been bitten by a dog and 

 at the sight of water, goes Into spasms, there is great indication that 

 he has hydrophobia. This is most important, for few cases recover 

 when once left to develop. 



TREATMENT 



Upon reception of a case of dog bite, thorough disinfection, fol- 

 lowed by cauterizing of the wound with caustic is a measure that can 

 be quickly carried out. 



As soon as possible after the bite, place the mouth to the wound 

 and suck out the poison. This is a method much used in the dissect- 

 ing room by medical students and is most effective, as is eliminates 

 the poison before it enters the circulation. 



PASTEUR TREATMENT 



This is a precautionary measure of the most 'mportance. Pasteur 

 showed that the virulence of the virus which he obtained from the 

 nervous system, is modified by passing it through animals, the same 

 as vaccination. He also found that if fragments of the spinal cord 

 were suspended in a dry atmosythere, they would gradually lose 

 their strength and finally become inert. 



From a bit of the cord, treated in this manner, a medicine is made 

 in the form of an emulsion. This is used for inoculation in man and 

 constitutes the great Pasteur Treatment, that we hear so much about. 

 If you were bitten by a dog that you thought was mad and sent to one 

 of the Pasteur Institutes, your treatment would be something like 

 this: The first day you would be inoculated with a medicine made 

 from a cord 14 days old. You would be inoculated for nine days, each 

 day with a cord one day fresher. 



