226 HYDROPHOBIA. 



animal. Of these there were some, \vho 

 from religious prejudices, would not submit 

 to the course of medicine I prescribed, pre- 

 ferring the prayers of a Brahmin priest. 



These regularly perished by the disease, 

 while the others, bitten by the same animal, 

 and at the same period of time, were invari- 

 ably preserved from hydrophobia where sa- 

 livation was induced. This, which I think 

 may be fairly called the experimenturn crucis, 

 I have put to the test so often, with the same 

 identical result, that not a shadow of doubt 

 remains on my mind relative to the entire 

 efficacy of the prophylactic. The proofs, 

 indeed, are positive, negative, and compara- 

 tive; and I leave it to the consideration of 

 the profession at large, and especially of 

 those employed in our Indian territories, 

 where the occurrence of hydrophobia is so 

 frequent, whether or not, to adopt a preven- 

 tive measure which offers so certain a check to 

 this most dreadful of all diseases." 



