464 Rabies. 



means of inoculation experiments the infectiousness of the saliva "was 

 determined in dogs by Zinke (1804), Griiner and Salm (1813), in 

 herbivorous animals by Berendt (1822), in human beings by Magendie, 

 while Galtier, in 1879, found the injection of the virus into rabbits 

 to be a convenient and harmless method of studying the disease, and 

 in 1880-81 made immunity tests with intravenous injections of virulent 

 saliva or brain emulsion. 



The very extensive investigations of Pasteur and his collaborators, 

 Eoux, Chamberland, and Thuillier (1881-1889), proved on the one 

 hand that the purest and most concentrated virus is contained in the 

 central nervous system ; they also established a method for the attenua- 

 tion of its virulence, and solved the important question of protective 

 vaccination against the disease. Finally, Remlinger and Riffat-Bey 

 (1903) have determined the filterability of the virus, while Negri (1903), 

 through the demonstration of specific cell inclusions in the nervous 

 system of the infected animals, has facilitated the postmortem diagnosis 

 considerably. 



Occurrence. Rabies occurs in all parts of the world among 

 dogs, cats and carnivorous wild animals (especially wolves and 

 foxes). Other animals and human beings are seldom affected, 

 and then almost exclusively after having been bitten by the 

 above named carnivorous animals (about 80% of the observed 

 cases have been found in dogs). While in earlier times the 

 disease appeared often epizootically extending over large areas, 

 in the course of the last ten years it has decreased or ceased 

 to appear in several countries as a result of the measures taken 

 against it. 



In Germany, the number of cases of rabies, during the years 1895 to 1898, in- 

 creased from 480 to 1,202, but in the year 1902 they were reduced to 612. During 

 the years 1903 and 1904 there was again an increase to 1,043, but since then the 

 disease has been diminishing. In the year 1908, 683 animals, of which 585,w.er« 

 dogs and 2 cats, were found infected in 644 communities. Of these cases 87.6% 

 were observed in Prussia where the eastern provinces, East Prussia, Posen, and 

 Silesia were principally infected. Cases were also found in large numbers in Saxony 

 and Bavaria, while in the remainder of the territory of the kingdom only isolated 

 eases were observed. 



In (France, the disease is found all over the country. Since 1899, nearly 

 2,000 eases of rabies have been observed every year (in the year 1907, 1,892 eases, 

 and in 1908, 1,482 cases in dogs). In Paris, however, the number of cases has 

 decreased from 807 in 1900 to 43 in 1907. 



In, Great Britain, since 1895 when there were 672 cases in 29 counties, the 

 disease has decreased go rapidly, thanks to the energetic measures taken to eradicate 

 it, that only 13 cases in 4 counties were observed in 1902, and since 1903 the whole 

 territory of the United Kingdom has been free from the disease. 



In Austria, the disease showed a steady increase during the years 1891 to 1899 

 (from 815 to 1,551 cases and in 1900, 1,187 eases). It was most common in Bohemia 

 and Galicia, less prevalent in Moravia and Lower Austria. In many instances the 

 infection was introduced into Galicia and Buckovina from Eussia and Eoumania,- in 

 the border districts of which countries an exceedingly large number of dogs are 

 kept without supervision, and where rabies is not only regularly found in. dogs, 

 but also in wolves. During the 10 years from 1891 to 1900, 4,974 human beings 

 were bitten by mad dogs, 123 (2.4%) of whom developed hydrophobia and died. 

 In the year 1908 the weekly number of eases at these places amounted to from 

 14 to 56, while the mountain and coast districts were free from the disease. _ 



In Hungary, temporary improvement followed immediately after the veterinary 

 law of 1888 became effective, but since 1893 when there were 883 cases of disease, 

 rabies has increased considerably, and in 1908, 2,460 cases of rabies, 1,759" being 

 in dogs, were observed in 1,471 communities. The majority of the cases waS 

 observed at the southern frontier. ' 'J> 



