130 RABIES. 



himself with the bed-clothes. She remarked, one morning, that he had 

 torn the covering of his bed, and, although he eat but little, drank oftener, 

 and in larger quantity, than he was accustomed to do. She led him to a 

 veterinary surgeon, who assured her that there was nothing serious the 

 matter. On the following day, he bit her fore-finger near the nail, as she 

 was giving him something to eat. She led him again to the veterinary 

 surgeon, who assured her that she needed not to be under the least alarm, 

 and, as for the little wound on her finger, it was of no consequence. On 

 the following day, the 27th of December, the dog died. He had not 

 ceased to drink most abundantly to the very last. 



On the 4th of February, as the lady was dining with her husband, she 

 found some difficulty in deglutition. She wished to take some wine, but 

 was unable to swallow it. 



On the 5th, she consulted a surgeon. He wished her to swallow a little 

 soup in his presence. She attempted to do it, but could not accomplish 

 her object after many an effort. She then fell into a state of violent agita- 

 tion, with constriction of the pharynx, and the discharge of a viscid fluid 

 from the mouth. 



On the 7th, she died, four days after the first attack of the disease, and 

 in a state of excessive loss of flesh. 



There can be no doubt that both the dog and his mistress died rabid, 

 the former having communicated the disease to the latter ; but there is no 

 satisfactory account of the manner in which the dog became diseased. a 



Joseph Delmaire, of Looberghe, twenty-nine years old, was, on the 6th 

 of October, 1836, bitten in the hand by a dog that he met with in the 

 forest, and that was evidently rabid. On the following morning, he went 

 to a medical man of some repute in the country, who washed the wound, 

 and scarified it, and terminated the operation by tracing a bloody cross on 

 the forehead of the patient. 



He returned home, but he was far from being satisfied. The image 

 of the dog that had attacked him was always before him, and his sleep 

 was troubled with the most frightful dreams. So passed four-and-twenty 

 days, when Delmaire, rising from his bed, felt the most dreadful trepidation 

 he panted violently it seemed as if an enormous weight oppressed his 

 chest, and from time to time there was profound sighing and sobbing. 

 He complained every moment that he was smothered. He attempted to 

 drink, but it was with great difficulty that a few drops of barley water were 

 swallowed. His mouth was dry his throat burning his thirst excessive, 

 and all that he attempted to swallow was rejected with horror. 



At nine o'clock at night he was largely bled. His respiration was more 

 free, but the dread of every fluid remained. After an hour's repose, he 

 started and felt the most fearful pain in every limb his whole bod} was 

 agitated with violent convulsions. The former place of bleeding was re- 

 opened and a great quantity of blood escaped. The pulse became small 

 and accelerated. The countenance was dreadful the eyes were starting 

 from their sockets he continually sprung from his seat, and uttered the 

 most fearful howling. A quantity of foam filled his mouth, and compelled 

 a continual expectoration. In his violent fits the strength of six men was 

 not sufficient to keep him on his bed. In the midst of a sudden recess of 

 fury he would disengage himself from all that were attempting to hold 



La Folie des Animaux, by M. Perquin. 



