42 THE DISEASES OF THE DOG. 



been extensively vaunted, and to an extent accepted by 

 the medical profession, but all have sooner or later been 

 found inefficacious ; thus, Blaine and Touatt were inclined 

 to agree with the ancients as to the value of the box tree ; 

 Touatt speaks favorably of Scutellaria; curara has been 

 thought of value, and cases have recovered under its use. 

 These specifics have temporarily enjoyed reputations not 

 only as curatives, but as prophylactics, and have been 

 found about as valuable for the latter purpose as spaying, 

 worming, or extraction of the tendon of the tail. Blimi- 

 native treatment haB proved equally ineffectual with 

 specifics. The actual and immediate cause of the disorder 

 is a blood poison (probably G-ibier's micrococcus), without 

 which no case of rabies can occur. Our efforts must, 

 therefore, be directed to limiting its range. We know 

 some facts about this poison which tend to the encourage- 

 ment of future research with a view to rendering the con- 

 stitutions of animals unfitted for its development and pro- 

 pagation. Thus, although none of the elaborate experi- 

 ments which have been made to generate rabies 

 spontaneously by exposure to heat, cold, ungratified sexual 

 desire, and so on, have succeeded, and although the old 

 idea of there being certain seasons (known as " dog days ") 

 when as the result of heat the disease prevails especially, 

 it is certain that some years and in certain places the 

 disease assumes an enzootic or epizootic form. Moreover 

 all animals bitten by mad dogs and untreated do not go 

 mad, even many dogs entirely resist the disease. Also in 

 different cases the period of incubation varies very con- 

 siderably, and the disease assumes two distinct forms in 

 the dog, the furious being especially the variety in young 

 dogs, whereas the dumb form is seldom seen except in 

 adults. Thus the action of the poison is influenced by 

 constitution, and Pasteur considers that he has devised a 

 method of rabies modulation by which the disease may be 

 prevented or cured. This method has been tested by a 

 French Commission of Scientists which has accepted M. 

 Pasteur's conclusions, which are, therefore, as well sub- 

 stantiated as they can possibly be until time and the 



