The Relations of the Diseases of Animals to those of Man. 635 
all who took part in them were not only instructed or gave in- 
struction, but were also equally gratified. 
The intimate association between the recent advances in bac- 
teriological science and practice and their relations to diseases of 
animals and to general hygiene was fitly introduced in the discussion 
on " The Prevention of Hydrophobia," to which Dr. Roux, of Paris, 
and Dr. George Fleming contributed most interesting papers. Dr. 
Roux's contribution, almost entirely statistical, was prefaced by a 
valuable account of the Pasteur method, but the main interest centred 
in the figures he was able to give. From 1886 to 1890, he said, 
in all, there had been 9,465 patients treated in Paris ; of these 90 had 
died, but the largest proportion of deaths was amongst foreign 
patients — a fact that was ascribed to the late period at which treat- 
ment was connnenced after the patients had been bitten ; this was 
especially well marked amongst English patients, of whom 389 
had been treated. The mortality amongst patients bitten about 
the head, if left untreated, was about 80 per cent., whilst of 710 
persoiis bitten about the head who had been treated at the Pasteur 
Institute only 24 had died, or 3-38 per cent. This was the most 
interesting fact brought out in the wliole paper, and one which 
should be more convincing than any other statement or argument 
could possibly be. As the treatment had become perfected the rate 
of mortality had declined; thus, in 188G it was 1-34 per cent., whilst 
in 1889 and 1890 it had fallen to 0-54 and 0-71 per cent, respectively. 
Dr. Fleming, in his paper on " The Prevention of Rabies," drew 
attention to the fact that really the most efficient method of dealing 
with this disease was by the destruction of rabid dogs ; the stringent 
detention of wandering and ownei'less dogs, which if not claimed 
within a certain period should be destroyed ; efficient muzzling, and 
the imposition of a dog-tax and registration, not in localised areas 
only but throughout the country. Of course, it might be pointed 
out that no muzzle will prevent a mad dog from biting when it gets 
to the rabid stage, but an animal is as a rule not so dangerous 
during tliis stage as in the morose preliminary period, during which 
the disease should always be diagnosed and the animal put out of 
its misery. 
It has sometimes been suggested that all dogs should be 
inoculated with anti-rabic virus ; but it could be gathered from 
Dr. Roux's address that the inoculation is not so much protective 
as antidotal, and he pointed out that in those cases where the 
virus might remain latent in the system for months or even years, 
the effect of the preventive inoculation might disappear before the 
activity of the virus manifested itself, and that in this way some of 
the fatal cases which have occurred at a late date might be accounted 
for. Whatever measures are taken (and the simplest, such as leash- 
ing and muzzling of dogs, careful registration, and the destruction 
of ownerless dogs, are the best), they should be carried out stringently 
throughout the kingdom, and not in districts only. If these were 
strictly enforced we might soon be freed from this scourge. The 
Pasteur treatment in the meantime must be looked upon as neces- 
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