548 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



This letter was sent to Salem, Swampscott, Lynn, Saugus, 

 Maiden, Medford, Lexington, Belmont, Watertown, Pea- 

 body, Lynnlield, Wakefield, Melrose, Stoneham, Winches- 

 ter, Arlington, Cambridge, Waltham and Newton. 



As a number of cases of rabies were reported to Dr. 

 O'Connell, at Holyoke, late in January and in February, 

 the following letter was sent to the boards of health of 

 Holyoke and adjoining towns : — 



COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS. 



BoABD OF Cattle Commissioners, 

 Commonwealth Building, Boston, Feb. 27, 1897. 



Chairman Board of Health. 



Dear Sir: — Dr. Maurice O'Connell of this Board reports an 

 outbreak of rabies among the dogs of Holyoke. We suggest, if 

 the circumstances seem to warrant it, that the boards of health of 

 Holyoke and adjoining towns order dogs to be muzzled, if run- 

 ning at large, or kept under restraint by their owners for ninety 

 days from this date. 



The police of these towns should have orders to report dogs 

 acting strangely to the boards of health, such dogs to be secured 

 in a safe place and a notification at once sent to Dr. O'Connell, 

 who will investigate the matter, and, if possible, send the bodies 

 of dogs dying under suspicious circumstances to the laboratory of 

 the Cattle Commission, in order to ascertain definitely whether the 

 dog was rabid, or not. 



Yours respectfully, Austin Peters, 



Chairman, for the Board of Cattle Commissioners. 



The above letter was sent to Holyoke, West Springfield, 

 Springfield, Chicopee, Westfield, Southampton, Easthamp- 

 ton and South Hadley. 



Two cases of canine rabies were reported from Lynn, one 

 in May the other in July. After the one in July, the Lynn 

 board of aldermen, at a meeting July 20, upon the recom- 

 mendation of the Board of Health and Inspector of Animals, 

 passed an order that all dogs in Lynn should be muzzled 

 until October 1. 



On Aug. 25, 1897, Dr. O'Connell received a very urgent 

 call from Mr. Myron Judd, chairman of the local board of 

 health for the town of South Hadley, requesting him to go 

 at once to the farm of Brown & Avery. The farm is located 



