DISEASES OP THE BLOOD. 33 



the anus and generative organs of another dog. Another 

 warning symptom noticed especially early among hounds 

 has been an alteration in the voice ; the howl of a mad dog 

 must be heard to be realised and once heard will never 

 be forgotten j any description will necessarily be insuffi- 

 cient to convey its true characters, but it has been spoken 

 of as an imperfect bark followed by a series of incompleted 

 howls, the animal being seated on his rump with the 

 muzzle elevated in the air and often turned backwards 

 while it rests against the wall. Another symptom of 

 great diagnostic value is the tendency of the animal to 

 constantly lick or, later, bite and lacerate with the teeth 

 some one part of the body, the seat of the inoculation 

 wound which may be found in a green gangrenous state 

 or merely a scar. The persistence of irritation at the 

 seat of injury, or its recurrence with pathological changes 

 after the wounds have apparently healed, is one of the 

 most remarkable of the many extraordinary facts about 

 rabies. It has led to the belief that the virus is not 

 absorbed, but remains at the seat of injury, and there 

 undergoes changes which render it capable of affecting 

 the system in general ; on this is based the practice of 

 excision of the parts around the wound as a preventive 

 at any time before active manifestation of symptoms. 

 Blaine was firmly convinced of the benefit of such 

 excision, but it cannot be accepted as conclusively proved 

 that rabies may thus be prevented. However, active 

 measures adopted with every evidence of thorough con- 

 fidence in their efficacy are specially necessary in dealing 

 with dogbite in mankind, for people if not thoroughly 

 convinced that they are out of danger are apt to work 

 themselves into a serious semi-hysterical state closely 

 resembling actual hydrophobia. In the dog rabies proves 

 invariably fatal, the cases lasting from three to seven days 

 when allowed to pursue their natural course. Even after 

 death diagnosis is often a matter of importance ; the 

 canine surgeon may be called on to give an opinion 

 about the emaciated bedraggled carcass of an unfortunate 

 animal which has been killed after being run down in the 



3 



