136 RABIES. 



forces it out with the greatest violence, or utters the falsely supposed 

 bark of a dog, in his attempts to force it from his mouth. This symp- 

 tom occurs in the human being, when the disease is fully established, 

 or at a late period of it. The dog furiously attempts to detach it with 

 his paws. 



It is an early symptom in the dog, and it can scarcely be mistaken in 

 him. When he is fighting with his paws at the corners of his mouth, let 

 no one suppose that a bone is sticking between the poor fellow's teeth ; nor 

 should any useless and dangerous effort be made to relieve him. If all this 

 uneasiness arose from a bone in the mouth, the mouth would continue per- 

 manently open instead of closing when the animal for a moment disconti- 

 nues his efforts. If after a while he loses his balance and tumbles over, 

 there can be no longer any mistake. It is the saliva becoming more and 

 more glutinous, irritating the fauces and threatening suffocation. 



To this naturally and rapidly succeeds an insatiable thirst. The dog 

 that still has full power over the muscles of his jaws continues to lap. He 

 knows not when to cease, while the poor fellow labouring under the dumb 

 madness, presently to be described, and whose jaw and tongue are. para- 

 lysed, plunges his muzzle into the water-dish to his very eyes, in order 

 that he may get one drop of water into the back part of his mouth to 

 moisten and to cool his dry and parched fauces. Hence, instead of this 

 disease being always characterised by the dread of water in the dog, it is 

 marked by a thirst often perfectly unquenchable. Twenty years ago, this 

 assertion would have been peremptorily denied. Even at the present day 

 we occasionally meet with those who ought to know better, and who will 

 not believe that the dog which fairly, or perhaps eagerly, drinks, can be 

 rabid. 



January 22nd, 1815. A Newfoundland dog belonging to a gentleman 

 in Piccadilly was supposed to have swallowed a penny-piece, on the 

 20th. On the evening of that day, he was dull, refused his food, and 

 would not follow his master. 2\st. He became restless and panting, 

 and continually shifting his position. He would not eat nor would he 

 drink water, but followed his mistress into her bed-room which he had 

 never done before, and eagerly lapped the urine from the chamber-pot. 

 He was afterwards seen lapping his own urine. His restlessness and pant- 

 ing increased. He would neither eat nor drink, and made two or three 

 attempts to vomit. 22nd. He was brought to me this evening. His eyes 

 were wild, the conjunctiva considerably inflamed, and he panted quickly 

 and violently. There was a considerable flow of saliva from the corners 

 of his mouth. He was extremely restless and did not remain in one posi- 

 tion half a minute. There was an occasional convulsive nodding motion 

 of the head. The eyes were wandering, and evidently following some 

 imaginary object ; but he was quickly recalled from his delirium, by my 

 voice or that of his master. In a few moments, however, he was wander- 

 ing again. He had previously been under my care, and immediately re- 

 cognised me and offered me his paw. His bark was changed and had a 

 slight mixture of the howl, and there was a husky choking noise in the 

 throat. 



I immediately declared that he was rabid, and with some reluctance on 

 the part of his master, he was left with me. 23rd, 8 A.M. The breathing 

 was less quick and laborious. The spasm of the head was no longer 

 visible. The flow of saliva had stopped and there was less delirium. The 



