242 RABIES CANINA, 



human. The prophylactics, that both interest and ignorance have 

 extolled and brought into use, are innumerable : very few of them, 

 however, have deserved the smallest confidence ; on the contrary, 

 they have lulled into a fatal security those who have relied on 

 them7. 



The oldest prophylactic with which we are acquainted is suction. 

 We have very ancient records of its employment, and, if we can 

 believe these legends, a particular family enjoyed the privilege, or 

 devoted themselves to this process of drawing, by the application 

 of the mouth to the wound, the poison inserted by a venemous 

 animal^. A ligature has also been recommended to stop the pro- 

 gress of the rabid poison, but, according with the present theories, 

 it can have no preventive efficacy whatever. 



Cold bathing, but particularly sea-bathing, as a preventive, is a 

 practice also of great antiquity, and, even yet, the uninformed 

 classes place implicit rehance on it. Its incapability of insuring 

 safety was, however, early noted ; and Palmerius, Ambrose Parey, 

 Desault, and others, were at much pains to discredit the practice : 

 nevertjieless, both hot and cold bathing long retained some power- 

 ful advocates^. However respectable the authorities in its favour, 



' Boerhaave complains of these impositions. " Nee ^schrionis apud Ga- 

 lenum et Oribasium arcano de cancris combustis ; nee Scribonii Largifamige- 

 rata opiate ad rabiem Siculorum ; nee Peregrini eonsilio de pelle hysense; nee 

 iEtii, Rufi, Possidonii, einere eancrorum cum theriaca ; nee jactata Palmario 

 medela; vel nimis laudato Mayerno, Grew, et venatoribus stanno cum Mithri- 

 datio ; nee in somniis sacris revelata radice cynorrhodonis ; aliisve in coelura 

 elato lichene einereo terrestri pimpinella jecore rabiosi canes exusto, et simili- 

 bus exeeptis." 



^ Celsus strongly recommends this practice, and brings forward the family 

 of Psyelles to prove how free it is from danger : " Non gustu, sed vulnere 

 nocent," — "Ergo quisquis exemplum Psylli secutus, id vulnus exsuxerit, et 

 ipse tutus erit, et tutum hominem prsestabit." — De Medecin. lib. v, cap. ii, 

 sect. 12. — Fothergill, Heister, and Vaughan, have spoken favourably of ^i^c^ioM 

 as a preventive. 



^ " Protinus in balneum amittunt, eumque ibi desudare, dum vires corporis 

 sinant, vulnere aperto quo magis ex eo quoque virus distillet." — Celsus de Med., 

 lib. V, c. 47. Tulpius is warm in his commendation of sea-bathing: " Ncque 



