Facts relating to Hydrophobia. 14D 



The death of L. T. C. and S. W. H. left on the minds of the 

 community an impression of mystery. There was a general feeling 

 that the cases were very singular. Individuals, who witnessed their 

 sickness, and were acquainted with the facts above mentioned, firmly 

 believed, that they died of hydrophobia, but no professional man had 

 encouraged that belief or laid stress on the facts which supported it, 

 and the friends, for obvious reasons, were not forward to express it. 



Things remained thus, till C, C. a brother of W. C. sickened 

 and died, March 24, 1828, aged thirty seven years. He was sick 

 but eleven days. He was a strong laboring man, and had never 

 before been the subject of sickness. After attending a meeting in 

 the evening, he retired to rest, and slept as usual. About mid- 

 night, he suddenly sprang from bed, and ran undressed, into the 

 street, screaming so loudly as to alarm his neighbors. From this 

 first decisive appearance of his disease, remedies seemed not even 

 to abate his distressing symptoms. Nor was his malady suspected 

 by his 'attending physician, till the third or fourth day. On my 

 making inquiries of a parishioner, in regard to the sick man, he said 

 to me, " He is no better. Do you know what people say about C? 

 They say he was bitten by his brother W. who died with hydropho- 

 bia, and they can prove it, and they know he is mad." I immedi- 

 ately made inquiries, and became satisfied that this was not mere 

 talk. I saw, the next day, his attending physician, and having men- 

 tioned the facts to him, I asked if he had suspected the nature of this 

 disease. He replied no. I then inquired if he would not examine 

 his authorities and look for the symptoms of the disease, with sole 

 reference to them. His next visit to the sick man resulted in his 

 conviction that his disease was hydrophobia. The physician had told 

 the attendants, that if they would preserve some of the saliva, and 

 inoculate a dog with it, he would become rabid in a certain number 

 of days. They had carefully taken up on a woollen string and drop- 

 ped into a phial, a quantity of this and corked the phial. They had 

 selected the victim and the place of his confinement, and were hold- 

 ing the corked phial in the hand, when the man was seized with his 

 last spasm. The phial was suddenly dropped, and all search for it 

 in future proved ineffectual — a circumstance deeply to be regretted, 

 for had the experiment been made, the result would probably have 

 removed from every mind, capable of appreciating it, all doubt re- 

 specting the sick man's disease. 



