466 HYDROPHOBIA. 



(la rage mue : die stille Wutti). The disease, however, is 

 essentially the same in both cases. In the dog the furious 

 form is the more common. After a period of incubation of 

 from three to six weeks, the first symptom noticed is a 

 change in the animal's aspect ; it becomes restless, and 

 it tears up and swallows unwonted objects ; it has a peculiar 

 high-toned bark. Spasms of the throat muscles come on, 

 especially in swallowing, and there is abundant secretion 

 of saliva ; its supposed fear of water is, however, a myth. 

 Gradually convulsions, paralysis, and coma come on; and 

 death supervenes. In the paralytic form, the early symp- 

 toms are the same, but paralysis appears sooner. The lower 

 jaw of the animal drops, from implication of the elevator 

 muscles, all the muscles of the body become more or less 

 weakened, and death ensues without any very marked 

 irritative symptoms. 



In man the incubation period after infection varies from 

 fifteen days to seven or eight months, or even longer, but is 

 usually about forty days. When symptoms of rabies are 

 about to appear, certain prodromata, such as pains along 

 the nerves of the limb in which the wound has been 

 received, may be observed. To this succeeds a stage 

 of nervous irritability, during which all the reflexes are 

 augmented the victim starting at the slightest sound, for 

 example. There are spasms especially of the muscles of 

 deglutition and respiration, and cortical excitement evi- 

 denced by delirium may occur. On this follows a period 

 in which all the reflexes are diminished, weakness and 

 paralysis are observed, convulsions occur, and finally coma 

 and death supervene. The duration of the acute illness is 

 usually from four to eight days. The existence of paralytic 

 rabies in man has been denied by some, but it undoubtedly 

 occurs. This is usually manifested by paralysis of the 

 limb in which the infection has been received, and of 

 the neighbouring parts ; but while in such cases this is 

 often the first symptom observed, during the whole of 

 the illness the occurrence of widespread paralysis is the 

 outstanding feature. When once symptoms of hydro- 



