No. 4.] CATTLE COMMISSIONERS. 499 



to the Cattle Commission, as required by law. In this in- 

 stance, if the animal had been secured when it was noticed 

 that he was a stray dog acting in a peculiar manner, he might 

 never have bitten any one. If after biting the woman he had 

 been kept secured and the commission notified, he would not 

 have bitten the boy ; and it might have been ascertained that 

 the dog had rabies and had bitten a person, thus giving her 

 an opportunity to take the Pasteur treatment and save her 

 life, if she decided to do so. 



In December, 1898, an outbreak of rabies occurred in 

 Ipswich, but through ignorance of the law it was not reported 

 to the commission until Jan. 16, 1899. December 4 a dosf 

 owned in this town acted in a peculiar manner, and was shot 

 December 7, after biting one or more other dogs. One of 

 the neighbor's dogs showed symptoms of hydrophobia De- 

 cember 21 and bit a dog, a horse and a cow. The cow died 

 of rabies January 12, and was proved to have this disease, 

 the head being sent to Dr. Frothingham, who inoculated 

 rabbits with material from her brain, with positive results. 

 The horse was shot by its owner, as reported to the commis- 

 sion January 15. The dog said to have been bitten Decem- 

 ber 21 was held in quarantine until March 16, and then 

 released, having developed no symptoms of disease. Two 

 more dogs were quarantined in Ipswich January 21, on ac- 

 count of this outbreak, but were released, still healthy, March 

 16, ninety days having expired without any symptoms of 

 disease having been noticed. March 17 a St. Bernard pup 

 was reported to the commission from Ipswich as having 

 rabies, and was ordered killed by a member of the Board, as 

 apparently sufiering from this malady ; but a rabbit test 

 showed him to have been free from it. 



As a result of the appearance of rabies in Ipswich, there 

 came near being an outbreak on the borders of Wenhara and 

 Hamilton. A rabid dog strayed from Ipswich to the vicinity 

 of the Myopia Club, where he was killed after biting another 

 dog, which died March 19, showing symptoms of rabies. 

 The latter dog's head was cut off and sent to Boston for ex- 

 amination. The rabbits inoculated by Dr. Frothingham 

 gave positive results April 18. Two dogs in Hamilton and 



