LETTER V. 51 



out it, and I accordingly sent him down with a friend, 

 and between him and the boatman he was nearly drowned. 

 The dog by which he had been bitten died mad. 



This man lived in my service several years afterwards, 

 was married, and returned to his native village. 1 saw 

 nothing of him until about eight years had elapsed, when 

 he again came to work for me. He was then much 

 altered, perhaps from hard work and hard living, and had 

 become weak in body and almost silly in mind. I gave 

 him a cottage to live in, and made him as comfortable as 

 I could. His health, however, gradually declined, and 

 just nine years after he had been bitten he died. Those 

 who attended him at the last said he died in fits, and 

 barked like a dog. I cannot vouch for this as a fact, but 

 his wife is still living, and the man who sat up with him 

 at night. During the four years he lived with me after 

 being bitten he was as usual, but I made him take altera- 

 tives at the return of the season when he had been bitten. 

 Should it be really the case that this man died from the 

 effects of the bite inflicted nine years previously (and 

 this fact could be set at rest by the examination of those 

 who attended him in his last illness), two points will be 

 established ; one, that the virus does remain in the system 

 for a length of time without being exhibited ; the other, 

 that the disease may be prevented breaking out, by the 

 periodical use of medicines. I should think also very 

 much depended upon the nature of the wound, whether 

 only skin deep, and whether inflicted on the open hand 

 and arm or through the clothes. In cases of this super- 

 ficial nature I think the actual cautery (if much blood 

 does not flow) used immediately, and then drawing poul- 

 tices and stimulating ointments would effect a cure. 



E 2 



