25 



last, draws attention to it, and says that if it were thoroughly 

 carried out the disease might become extinct in 18 months. The 

 plan is that all dogs should be placed beyond the power of harming 

 animals or human beings for a period of some three or four months. 

 Rabies in a dog invariably manifests itself within this period, and 

 the result of this expedient would be that all the dogs at present 

 infected would die within that period and that the survivors would 

 be absolutely free from contagion or the risk of being attacked at 

 any future time. This ipeasuremust of course be supplemented by 

 a quarantine of similar duration upon all imported dogs. Dr. 

 Fleming mentions in his letter that in our isl ind of Mauritius 

 rabies is very prevalent and fatal, because little if anything is done 

 to check or suppress it ; while in the island of Bourbon, not far off, 

 there has not been a case of rabies or hydrophobia for at least half 

 a century, simply because the importation of dogs is not 

 permitted. 



In 1 867 a Metropolitan Streets Act was passed which enables the 

 police to seize all vagrant dogs. In 1868 it was put in force, and 

 the number of cases of hydrophobia immediately became greatly 

 diminished in and around London. 



The above I believe was supplemented by a measure passed in 

 1872, but both these measures are not sufficiently stringent as to 

 details to eradicate the disease. 



Perhaps, and very probably, our new government may see fit to 

 pass such legislative measures as will banish for ever from our 

 shores this dire disease. If so, this last terrible outbreak of 

 hydi'ophobia will be accompanied by a corresponding blessing. 



At the conclusion of Dr. Tyson's paper, Mr. Ullyett, the Hon. 

 Sec, said he had received a message from Dr. Fitzgerald, 

 regretting his absence, and asking that the following notes might 

 be read : — 



When one reflects on the alarming increase of hydrophobia of 

 late, and the deeply interesting experiments of Pasteur, one is al- 

 most forced to two conclusions — First, that rabies ought to be 

 " stamped out " by vigorous measures, or, failing that, every bitten 

 dog should certainly be inoculated. Dr. Tyson has pointed out that 

 Pasteur has now succeeded in producing an inoculating virus with a 

 much shorter incubation stage than the natural rabies poison, so 

 that it exerts its protective influence before the other poison has had 

 time to produce its fetal symptoms. It in fact overtakes and over- 

 corns the original virus. For my own part, were I bitten by a rabid 

 dog, I should not hesitate to be inoculated by Pasteur's modified 

 virus, although I know that only a percentage of those bitten are 

 ever affected by hydrophobia. Dr. Tyson has told you only a third 

 part, but I believe the statistics are better than that. Hunter men« 



