Diseases of the Nervous Sj/siem. 243 



to manifest certain symptoms indicative of hydrophobia^ 

 should they have the misfortune to be bitten by one of our 

 longsuffering canine friends. 



Those who have had niuch to do with dogs, and have 

 carefully studied their various dispositions, cannot have 

 failed to note those same peculiar hysterical tendencies in 

 highly-bred specimens — nervous and violently excited at 

 an angry word or sudden sound. Shrieking at a trivial 

 injury, convulsed with fear at an upraised hand — not 

 rabidly inclined, I don't' say that, although it has been 

 positively asserted that the bite of an angry dog is as 

 dangerous as that inflicted by a rabid one, and equally 

 capable of producing hydrophobia ; an opinion, however, 

 which I do not at all agree with. But I cannot see why 

 the nervous system of a physically weak and excitable dog 

 should not be acted upon much in the same manner as in 

 a physically weak and nervous human being, and in such a 

 way as to excite symptoms strongly representative of 

 rabies. 



I have already spoken of the saliva as the vehicle of the 

 rabid poison, and of the mystery as to its development. 

 It is known that certain conditions of the nervous system 

 exert an influence on the secreting process of the salivary 

 glands, and we know that in canine rabies there is an 

 abundance of such secretion abnormally altered. In fact, 

 it may be said that all the secretions are more or less in- 

 fluenced by the condition of the mind ; so much so that in 

 certain instances they become poisonous from chemical 

 change, and lose entirely their individual characters. May 

 not this be so with the canine secretions ? 



Although I grant that canine rabies is most frequently 

 due to inoculation, I do not lose sight of those causes favour- 

 able to spontaneity, of which there is far greater weight of 

 practical evidence than that built up on theoretical bases. 

 Nor do I forget that every disease has had a beginning, 

 and canine rabies (which is now being dealt with as though 

 R — 2 



