?C9 

 wiih regard to mankind, and the result of a very par- 

 ticular attention paid to it. Various circumstances 

 have conspired to throw into my way a much greater 

 number of persons who have been bitten than has fell 

 to, the lot of the most eminent surgeon in London. I 

 have operated upon nearly fifty persons, every one of 

 whom are now perfectly well. The knowledge of 

 the attention 1 had paid to the subject, drew me also 

 the communications of many of the facultv : but 

 it is chiefly from my own experience and remarks 

 that I ground tlifc follow^ing observations, many of 

 them new; others, though not novel, yet hitherto want- 

 ing the sanction of experience to confirm them, and 

 being but little known. I have collected all the 

 facts, either w^ritten or oral, tliat a most sedulous and 

 diligent inquiry enabled me to do ; I have w aded 

 through every thing written on the subject ia every 

 language; and, more than all, I have brougiil all to 

 the test of actual experiment : 1 am not, therefore, in 

 the least dread of committing myself when I offer a 

 very consolatory fact to those who have been unfor- 

 tunate enough to have been bitten ; which is, that it 

 is of no consequence that tlie excision of the pait 

 should be immediately eifected ; on the contrary, I 

 believe (and indeed am as certain of it as ! can be of 

 such a matter) that the operation may be as safely 

 performed at any time previous to the secondary in- 

 flammation of the part bitten, as it would be in the 

 •first moment after the accident. Nevertheless, 

 as it is always uncertain at what time this second- 

 ary inflammation may take place, so it is idways pru- 

 dent to perform it as soon as is convenient : but it is 

 a matter of immense moment to the peace of the u*4- 



X 



