8. 



RABIES 



Under the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reg- 

 ulations Chapter 111, General Laws as amended by Chapter 265, 

 Acts of 1938, Sections 6 and 7 "Dog Bite" is declared a dis- 

 ease dangerous to nublic health. 



Chapter 129, Section 21 of the General Laws, was amended 

 under Chapter 29, Acts of 1963 to read: "All dogs known to 

 have bitten persons shall be quarantined for a period of ten 

 (10) days for observation, at the end of which period, if no 

 symptoms of rabies have developed, said animals may be releas- 

 ed from quarantine on order of the Director. 



Investigation of reported injuries Inflicted to persons 

 by biting dogs and the quarantining of such dogs is one of the 

 duties of the Inspector of Animals. 



One thousand two hundred and fifty-one (1,251) persons 

 were bitten by stray animals. The brains of six hundred and 

 ninety-six (696) animals were sent to Wassermann Laboratory 

 for examination. Of that number five hundred and thirty-four 

 (53U) were reported to have bitten six hundred and eleven 

 (611) persons. 



The following tabulation is a record of bites inflicted 

 by dogs and other animals. 



