112 MICROBES AND HEALTH. 



case of this disease. There is certainly no evidence 

 of such a cure, cannot be. First, because ninety per 

 cent of the people bitten by "mad dogs" do not have 

 hydrophobia; and second, because the disease may de- 

 velop years after the person is bitten. 



At the recent annual meeting of the British Medical 

 Association, Dr. George Wilson, an eminent English 

 physician and medical writer, is quoted as saying: 

 "Pasteur's treatment for hydrophobia is the merest 

 charlatanism" quackery. Again, it is claimed by some 

 writers that hydrophobia in France has been steadily 

 on the increase since Pasteur's antitoxin treatment was 

 established. 



It requires but a moment's thought to see that in 

 the treatment of hydrophobia Pasteur is as helpless 

 as a babe. The cause of hydrophobia has never been 

 discovered. The nature of the poison producing the 

 disease is unknown. Therefore, any pretense to manu- 

 facture an antirabic serum or antitoxin is a fraud. 



The following is quoted from a recent article on 

 "Rabies and Hydrophobia," by James Howard Thorn- 

 ton, C. B., M. B., B. A. Fellow of Kings College, 

 London ; deputy surgeon general Indian Medical Service 

 (retired) : 



"Rabies in reality is a very rare disease. The popu- 

 lar belief to the contrary arises from the fact that 

 various other maladies common in dogs are mistaken 

 for rabies. It has been ascertained that only a very 

 small proportion of the bites of rabid dogs convey the 

 infection, hence the likelihood of a dog bite causing 

 hydrophobia is extremely small. This was very plainly 



