DISEASES OF THE BLOOD. 41 



as to cause alarm," such as avoidance of water, drinking 

 with aversion and spasm, and staggering gait, head de- 

 pressed, and mouth foaming and tumid, also snappishness. 

 The sunless Arctic winter is supposed to be the cause of an 

 anomalous form of disease, " as clearly mental as in the 

 case of any human being. The material functions of the 

 poor brutes go on without interruption ; they eat vora- 

 ciously, retain their strength, and sleep well. But all the 

 indications beyond this go to prove that the original epi- 

 lepsy, which was the first manifestation of brain disease 

 among them, has been followed by a true lunacy. They 

 barked frenzically at nothing and walked in straight and 

 curved lines with anxious and unwearying perseverance. 

 They fawn on you, but without seeming to appreciate the 

 notice you give them in return, pushing their heads against 

 your person, or oscillating with a strange pantomime of 

 fear. Their most intelligent actions seem automatic. 

 Sometimes they remain for hours in moody silence, and 

 then start off howling as if pursued, and run up and down 

 for hours." A strong tendency to tonic spasm, attributed 

 to lengthened cold and darkness, affected both men and 

 dogs. In the latter it assumed the form of tetanus, and 

 carried off fifty-seven of them with symptoms not unlike 

 those of hydrophobia ('Arctic Explorations/ quoted by 

 Fleming). Rabies has been observed to assume some 

 special features in some parts of North America ; thus we 

 read of the " Californian Dog Disease." Walley has 

 pointed out some of its peculiarities in Edinburgh. It 

 most frequently assumed the dumb form and was seen in 

 well-bred dogs, strange to say, fresh cases were most 

 frequent on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Hiccough, 

 a very rare phenomenon in dogs, occurred in one or two 

 cases. The temperature was noted as 104'5° Fahr, in the 

 earlier stages, very low in the late stages, in one or two 

 instances below 95°. It was most liable to be confounded 

 with cerebro-spinal meningitis, a sequela of distemper. 

 Intravenous injection served to prolong life (' Veterinary 

 Journal '). 



From time to time specific remedies for rabies have 



