No. 4.] REPORT OF CATTLE BUREAU. 199 



pital and an old man in Jjcrnardston. None of the persons 

 infected siijiposcd the dogs to have been rabid from which the 

 infection was received, except the Bernardston man. He 

 started to take the Pastenr treatment but changed it for 

 Christian Science treatment, and died. 



In addition to these animals a herd of swine was appraised 

 and killed in Lexington, numbering 78 head, and paid for 

 from the county dog fund after 9 had died of rabies as the 

 result of a rabid dog entering the premises and biting a num- 

 ber of them. The 9 pigs that had rabies are included in the 

 table ; the others are not included in the figures there given. 



The veterinarian of the Boston board of health reports 50 

 cases of rabies in dogs in that city during the year, making 

 a total for the entire State of 504 mad dogs. The total num- 

 ber of dogs having rabies during the year ending Nov. 30, 

 190Y, in Massachusetts, including Boston, was 741, showing 

 a decrease of 237 cases. 



The table given above also shows an improved state of 

 affairs at the end of the year, as there were only 92 animals 

 in quarantine Dec. 1, 1908, compared with 213 the corre- 

 sponding date of 1907. It is hoped that this diminution will 

 continue until the outbreak is over, when the malady will 

 undoubtedly remain quiescent for a number of years, to re- 

 appear when another surplus of susceptible dogs has gro^vn 

 up; that is, it will do so if history repeats itself, and it is 

 probable that it will. 



During 1908 Dr. Frothingham has examined the brains 

 of 166 animals for rabies, of which 135 have proved positive 

 or probable cases and 31 have proved to be negative. 



At the time of writing this report the situation seems to be 

 better than for some time, and it is hoped that the outbreak 

 is subsiding. There have not been any cases west of Worces- 

 ter for a number of months, and very few cases north of 

 Boston. The more recent troubles have been in Marlborough, 

 Southborougb, Hudson, Sudbury, Stow and Framingham, 

 as one center. All these towns have issued orders to have 

 dogs properly and securely muzzled or restrained from run- 

 ning at large, some of which expire Jan. 1 and some Feb. 1, 

 1909. The Framingham order expires about April 1. The 



