when they should be destroyed. Up to the present time it is not 

 only not known, but no probable conjecture has been formed of the 

 causes which produce rabies. The best cared-for dogs are its 

 victims, whilst others that are totally neglected are rarely attacked. 

 There are three well-marked stages of the complaint in the dog — 

 the first is characterised by melancholy, depression, sullenness, and 

 fidgetiness ; the second by excitement by rabid fury ; and the third 

 and last by muscular debility and actual paralysis. It is most 

 important to recognize the first stage early in the disease. In the 

 early part of 1774 rabies was causing much alarm m Lancashire, 

 and we find that at a general meeting of the parishioners of Eccles, 

 near Manchester, it was unanimously agreed to strike off the poor's 

 rates all paupers who should keep dogs. They agreed to pay 5s. for 

 every mad dog killed in their parish. In the winter of 1807 it raged 

 in Dover and in some of the neighbouring towns. Many cases of 

 hydrophobia occurred in the human species. 



I have left the subject of treatment to the last part of my paper. 

 It is an almost universal rule in the practice of medicine that in 

 proportion as the number of remedies increase for any one disease, 

 so the value of each one lessens. The rule holds good especially in 

 hydrophobia remedies. They are without end, but as far as we 

 know at present, no single "specific" exists. Poisons enter the 

 blood and pass through the circulation in an almost incredibly short 

 space of time, and unless the poison can be extracted immediately, or 

 unless there is some known antidote, the chance of destroying the 

 poison is minimal. 



Destroying the poison at the seat of entrance and bandaging the 

 parts above, so as to prevent transit of it, seems at present the 

 wisest treatment to adopt. Of the various remedies and methods 

 cf cure the following may be mentioned : various destroying local 

 applications, such as ordinary caustic, chloride of zinc, actual 

 cautery ; the actual excision of the wound ; and even amputation of 

 the limb itself. This last method was recommended by the late Sir 

 Thomas Watson, who stated, were he ever the subject of hydro- 

 phobia, he would readily submit to such a severe measure of treat- 

 ment. The so called specifics, such as mercury, curara, Calabar 

 bean, have been tried in vain. Turkish baths have also been 

 strongly recommended, but with no effect. J^edatives such as 

 opium, chloral, chloroform, have also failed. Lastly we must 

 consider somewhat in detail the latest and probably the most philo- 

 sophic treatment, that of Pasteur by vaccination of modified virus 

 of rabies. 



In a paper read before tids society four years ago on " Germs," 

 I mentioned then the probability of vaccination of hydrophobia 

 taking place. This has since been done by Pasteur, but the success 



