TRAUMATISMS BROUGHT ABOUT BY ANIMAL AGENCIES 151 



of the ferocious creatures which he is hunting, and especially to 

 know what they usually do when wounded. In travelling in the 

 African bush, a zareba with a fire is usually a good protection during 

 the night. 



Traumatisms caused by the Smaller Carnivora. — Under this 



heading come the traumatisms caused by members of the family 

 Canidae, of which Canis lupus Linnaeus, the wolf, C. aureus, the 

 jackal, and C. familiaris, the dog, may be quoted. Their general 



dental formula is ^-~4jl^ = forty-two teeth. A wolf bite resembles 

 3. I. 4, 3 . 



that of the larger Carnivora, while jackals generally attack 

 children, inflicting severe wounds, often of a septic nature. The 

 jackal is often infected with hydrophobia, which he spreads to the 

 village dogs, and in this way the disease is kept up in tropical 

 countries. There can be no doubt that, at the present time, hydro- 

 phobia is one of the real dangers of a tropical town or village, where 

 a large number of pariah dogs are, as a rule, allowed to run freely 

 about the streets and make themselves as objectionable as they 

 like. The result is that a number of children and adults are bitten 

 every now and again, and are compelled to seek protection against 

 possible infection by treatment at one of the now numerous Pasteur 

 Institutes. In our opinion, some attempt should be made by 

 muzzling dogs for a period of at least two years throughout a country, 

 and the destruction of all dogs not so protected, to diminish this 

 danger. We also consider that the destruction of all ownerless 

 dogs — i.e., dogs without a collar on which a name is engraved — 

 should be conducted by a systematic organization. 



The parasite of hydrophobia is described in Chapter XXII., 

 p. 535- 



One of the most important forms in which rabies attacks dogs 

 is that called ' dumb rabies,' in which the lower jaw early becomes 

 paralyzed; this is a form often overlooked for some time by non- 

 medical people, and is a source of great danger. 



Anyone interested in this subject must, however, consult a book 

 on general medicine, as this is hardly the place for a description of 

 rabies. 



Rat and cat bite diseases are described in Chapter LIT, p. 1356. 



Traumatisms caused by the Ungulata. — Among the Herbivora 

 there are two families which are celebrated for vicious attacks upon 

 man, and these are the Camelidae and the Bovidse. 



Camelus hradrianus Linnaeus may at times have a bad temper, 

 and it is often dangerous for a stranger to approach a camel, for its 

 bite is, as a rule, a serious injury, the deep tissues being crushed 

 and lacerated, while the bones may be crushed, broken, or dis- 

 located, and tendons, bursae, and joints may be laid bare or opened, 

 and last, and by no means least, because of the possibility of gan- 

 grene and severe septic infection. The bites generally occur on 

 the upper or lower limb, but are also well known on the head and 

 face. The shock from such severe injuries is naturally very great, 



