CASES OF RABIES. 289 



of the one counted rose to one hundred and forty a minute. 

 One became blind in one eye, one in both, and a third partly 

 blind in one eye. The cornea, in each instance, became 

 opaque and white ; but this happened only where wounds of 

 the dog's teeth could be found on the lids or close to the 

 affected eye. At this stage the scabs of nearly all of them 

 dried up, and their wounds appeared to be rapidly healing 

 again. When standing quiet, their heads sunk down low 

 and they trembled slightly all over, as an animal often does 

 after drinking cold water. Froth exuded in rather small 

 quantities from the front part of the mouths of two or three 

 of them, and ropy saliva fell from the lips of one to the 

 ground. 



The last day or two of their lives they staggered in their 



fait, fell over their dead companions, and rose with difficulty, 

 "inally they became unable to rise. The respiration was 

 more labored and irregular, and, in one instance, stertorous. 

 Their debility was extreme. Even at this stage, and until 

 actually dying, they did not manifest that degree of "stupor" 

 and "insensibility to all that is going forward," mentioned by 

 Mr. Youatt. They looked up when a loud or unusual noise 

 was made, and those which were not blind evidently took 

 notice of objects of sight ; and not one of them to the last 

 showed the least indications of becoming paralytic, as the 

 same distinguished author states that rabid sheep usually do 

 in England. Neither the appearance of the ground, nor their 

 postures, indicated convulsions or struggling at the time of 

 their death. I saw none of them die. 



The five cases which were seen throughout, extended 

 respectively through nine, seven, eight, ten and six days, 

 giving eight days as the average duration of the disease. 



While the preceding statement of the symptoms of rabies 

 accords in its leading features with that given by Mr. Youatt, 

 there are even more discrepancies between them in detail 

 than I have called attention to. I think it probable that 

 these differences are due in some measure to local or incidental 

 circumstances, such as the peculiar breed, constitution and 

 habits of the animals, their previous keep, etc. In all these 

 respects the American Merino differs widely from the English 

 breeds. The season of the year when the cases were noted, 

 may also have had an influence. And, finally, owing to 

 climate or other undetected causes, the malady may not 

 assume precisely the same form in different countries. But 

 be all this as it may, I at least know that I carefully noticed, 

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