HYDROPHOBIA 281 



Egypt or in the city of Constantinople, which is noted 

 for the number of its homeless dogs. But this is 

 denied by other authorities and it is said to have been 

 very prevalent in the city of Constantinople in 1839. 

 Like other infectious diseases its prevalence varies 

 greatly at different times and depends to a consider- 

 able extent upon the measures taken to prevent its 

 extension such as the muzzling of dogs and the 

 destruction of those without owners. 



In northern Europe rabies from the bite of a mad 

 wolf is of not infrequent occurrence and the disease is 

 also occasionally contracted as a result of bites inflicted 

 by foxes, jackals, and ferrets. Wild animals during 

 the excited stage of the disease lose their fear of man 

 and are liable to run through frontier settlements and 

 military posts, and to bite men and animals encoun- 

 tered on their way. 



A most effectual way of resisting the spread of 

 rabies is by the general muzzling of dogs allowed to 

 run at large. The results of this preventive measure 

 as applied in Great Britain are given below. Accord- 

 ing to official reports the number of fatal cases of 

 rabies in 1887 was 217; in 1888, 160; in 1889, 3 12 - 

 This increase in the number of deaths from hydro- 

 phobia caused much alarm and led to the enforce- 

 ment of regulations for the muzzling of dogs. As a 

 result of this the number of cases fell to 129 in 1890; 



