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Dkcembeb 8th, 1885. 



A large number ot members assembled in the Committee Room 

 at the Town Hall. The chair was taken by the Rev. A. L. Hussey, 

 M.A., who called upon Dr, Tyson to read the following paper 



ON HYDROPHOBIA, 



There are always two difficulties in the way of maintaining a 

 society like ours, viz., to find people willing to read papers, and the 

 difficulty of choosing a subject amongst those who are willing to 

 contribute. I have chosen a not altogether agreeable theme for 

 making a few remarks this evening, but one that seemed to me not 

 inopportune at the present time. Hydrophobia has been written 

 upon, and a paper read some few years ago before the members of 

 this society, by our Vice-President (the Rev, A. L. Hussey), but the 

 more frequent prevalence of that disease, and the novel method of 

 treatment that has been proposed, lead me to treat the subject 

 afresh. 



Hydrophobia is an acute disease produced by the inoculation of a 

 specific animal poison, manifesting itself by symptoms due to disturb- 

 ance of the central nervous system, and almost invariably proving 

 fatal. The above is a good general definition. There are many 

 points in connection with the disease which are of an interesting 

 character and are not generally known. Some of these I will give. 



The Etiology. It is never spontaneous in man ; the sole cause 

 of hydrophobia is inoculation with the poison of a rabid animal, 

 almost invariably with the saliva, the inoculation being commonly 

 effected by a bite. In about nine tenths of the cases the disease is 

 contracted from dogs ; in most of the remainder from cats ; in" very 

 few cases from wolves and foxes. In passing I may say that the 

 fourth Duke of Richmond, when Governor-General of Canada, died 

 six weeks after the bite of a fox from hydrophobia, in 1819. A most 

 graphic account of this illness was given in the Morning Post about 

 a month ago. 



The disease has been acquired from a wound received during the 

 dissection of a rabid animal. It is probable, although not certain, 

 that inoculation with the blood of a rabid animal will produce the 

 disease. The poison is not known to be present in any other secre- 

 tion than the saliva. Inoculation takes place more certainly by a 

 bite on an uncovered part of the body, as on the hands and face, 

 than by a bite inflicted through the clothes. It has followed the 

 scratch of a cat, probably by the animal's saliva being thus inocu- 

 lated. A healthy dog has communicated the disease by a bite given 

 immediately after it had been fighting with a rabid animal, the 

 saliva of which no doubt was hanging about its jaws. 



