Rabies and Hydrophobia. Lesions, treatment, prevention. 331 



The results as given by the report of the Pasteur Institute are 

 furnished in the following table, from which are excluded such 

 cases only as developed the disease during the coutse of treat- 

 ment, which therefore remained incomplete. 



Persons Mortality 



Years. Treated. Deaths. percent 



1886 2671 25 o 94 



18S7 1770 14 079 



1888 1622 9 055 



1889 1830 7 0.38 



1890 1540 J._ 5 0.32 



1891 155, 4 025 



1892 1790 4 022 



1893 164S 6 036 



1894 1387 7 0.50 



1S95 1520 5 0.33 



1896 1308 4 ■_ 0.30 



1897 r5!i 6 0.39 



The following table gives the number of individuals treated 

 who had been bitten by animals which had been proved rabid by 

 successful inoculation of other animals, and of those bitten by 

 reputedly rabid animals, and their respective mortality. 



Mort. 

 Died, per ct. 



Bitten by animals proved rabid by inoculation 2,872 20 0.69 



Bitten by animals pronounced rabid by veterinarian. 12,547 61 0.48 



Bitten by animals suspected of rabies 4,747 15 0.31 



Average mortality 0.46 



The Pasteur treatment by its great success in persons who have 

 already been bitten has in a great measure robbed hydrophobia of 

 its terrors, only it must be resorted to as early as possible in the 

 period of incubation. It has also been advocated as a means of 

 immunizing subjects that have not been bitten but are more or less 

 liable to be so, and on this basis a large number of dogs have been 

 passed through it. This is not likely to be adopted in the case of 

 the human being, the more so that a few, although on the whole 

 a very limited number of persons, have developed rabies long 

 after the taking of the Pasteur treatment. This has been at- 

 tributed to the retention of latent germs in the system, and argues 

 besides, a remaining susceptibility to the poison. 



In spite of its brilliant success and the great boon it has been 

 to humanity, the Pasteur treatment is not an ideal one. Its sue- 



