No. 4.1 CATTLE COMMISSIONERS. 551 



as would result from the infliction of dog bites a few weeks 

 previously. 



In many instances so-called cases of rabies may be due to 

 some other cause, and it is not unusual to call a dog mad 

 and shoot him if he acts in a peculiar manner, when he may 

 not have rabies. In doubtful cases it is much wiser to 

 secure the dog safely until some one having knowledge of 

 these matters can see him ; and, if there is then any uncer- 

 tainty, rabbits should be inoculated from the fresh medulla 

 and cord, in order to establish a correct diagnosis. This is 

 especially important if the dog has bitten any person or per- 

 sons ; as, if the animal is really rabid, the persons bitten 

 should at once be sent to the Pasteur Institute, in New 

 York, to undergo the protective inoculation for this fatal 

 and terrible malady. 



In questionable cases of rabies, reported to the Board of 

 Cattle Commissioners, it has been considered wise to attempt 

 to establish the presence or absence of the disease by having 

 rabbits inoculated ; and in a case similar to the outbreak at 

 South Hadley, where the payment for cattle from the dog 

 fund is involved, it becomes a very important matter to 

 determine the exact nature of the trouble. 



While it is possible a few of the cases reported to the 

 Board of Cattle Commissioners during the past year were 

 not rabid, yet in many outbreaks it has been proved by 

 inoculation experiments that the diagnosis was correct, in 

 one case that it was incorrect, and two results were neither 

 positive or negative, owing to the decomposed condition of 

 the material. 



The following table shows the results of the inoculation 

 proof of absence or presence of rabies : — 



