HYDROPHOBIA. 397 



that nature, having formed the entire cucurbitaceous family 

 after one normal type, involving the presence of acridity or 

 bitterness, either of these qualities, or both, may occasion- 

 ally, through some little shock or twist of organisation be- 

 yond the scope of man's power to understand, reveal itself 

 abnormally. 



Having prefaced a botanical illustration, we shall be the 

 better prepared to contemplate an analogy drawn from physi- 

 ology and comparative anatomy. Saliva the salivary liquid 

 secreted from the blood by various special glands, and the 

 normal function of which is to mingle with the food, lubri- 

 cate it down along the oesophagus to^he stomach, and there 

 promote its digestion is naturally, as everybody knows, an 

 innocent fluid, a fluid wholly devoid of poisonous qualities. 

 Nevertheless, the terrible poison-glands of venomous serpents 

 are regarded by most comparative anatomists as actual sali- 

 vary glands. 



Considered as the embodiment of a major function, it is 

 competent for us to regard the normal poison of serpents as 

 typical of the abnormal function of the salivary glands of ani- 

 mals affected with hydrophobia. ' There is something curious 

 about that salivary gland of animals,' observed a celebrated 

 naturalist, now no more, to the writer one morning, whilst 

 perusing the details of a case of hydrophobia; ' something very 

 curious. The salivary gland of serpents, the poison-gland, 

 always secretes poison; and observe,' continued the naturalist, 

 ' if the secretive function of a dog's salivary glands be dis- 

 turbed, this animal secretes poison too.' 



Madness, canine madness, hydrophobia. Are these words 

 to correctly designate and set forth the disease^we are now 

 considering ? Scarcely : a valid objection can be adduced 

 against all. Premising that hydrophobic symptoms vary, not 

 only for each particular race of animals, but to some extent 

 for different individuals of one race, the observation still holds 

 good, that the words * madness, insanity,' by no means express 



