296 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY 
and groans most miserably; loses, by degrees, all know- 
ledge of his dearest friends and most familiar acquaintance: 
and their presenting themselves before him, is the very 
critical moment when all of this description give proof of 
their desire to bite, which, in the attempt, bears no ill affi- 
nity to the similar snappings of a village cur. 
Awful to relate, reason returns at intervals, and he feel- 
ingly laments his own calamity, and deplores his own inca- 
pacity. A consciousness of approaching dissolution is per- 
ceptible even to himself, and he seems truly resigned to 
the singularity of his fate. Severe pain and consequent 
heat producing thirst, a desire to drink is displayed, but 
nature shrinks from her office; in vain the patient raises his 
hand to touch the vessel, it almost magically pi’oduces in- 
stant tremor — the hand recedes, and he sinks into the most 
afflicting despondency. Conscious, likewise, of his con- 
stantly increasing inclination to bite, he, in his rational 
moments, makes signals to warn his friends of the danger, 
and keep themselves at a distance. Towards the conclu- 
sion of this dreadful and most melancholy scene, the fever 
and parching thirst increase, the tongue becomes swelled 
and protruded, foam issues from the mouth, strength fails, 
cold sweats come on, the stricture on the breast increases, 
as well as the other predominant symptoms, until, in a long 
succession of convulsive struggles, all-powerful death closes 
the scene. 
The cause of the hydrophobia is utterly unknown; and its 
.effects hitherto appear to have baffled every remedy which 
has been tried for its removal. Copious and repeated vene- 
section was, a few years ago, announced to the world as a 
cure for the hydrophobia, and instances were given in order 
to confirm it: it is true, they came in a questionable shape 
on account of the distance they had to travel, being chiefly 
from the East Indies: however, the method just mentioned, 
has been tried in this country and found unavailing. 
The alisma plantago was introduced as a remedy, but, 
on repeated trial, has proved ineffectual. 
Another remedy has been introduced. This new remedy 
comes from a distance; but let us not reject it merely on that 
score. The account has appeared in several medical works, 
and was first published, it seems, by Dr. Muller , of Vienna, 
a scientific physician, now resident at Paris. The German 
physician says, he received the particulars from M. Maro- 
chetti, a Russian surgeon, who informed him, that, during 
his residence in the Ukraine, in the year 1813, he was call- 
ed on to attend fifteen persons who had been bit by a mad 
dog, when some old men requested him to treat the unfor- 
tunate people according to the directions of a neighbouring 
peasant, who had acquired a great reputation for curing the 
hydrophobia. M. Marochetti allowed the peasant to attend 
fourteen , reserving one to himself, a female of sixteen, who 
was cauterized and treated in the usual way, and expired 
eight days after the attack. The peasant gave to the 
fourteen persons placed under his care a strong decoction of 
the tops of the flowers of the yellow broom, (a pound and a 
half a day.) He examined twice a day the under part of 
the tongue, where he had generally discovered little pim- 
ples, containing, as believed, the hydrophobic poison: these 
pimples really followed, and were observed by Marochetti 
himself. As they formed, the peasant opened them, and 
cauterized the parts with a red hot needle; after which, the 
patients gargled with the decoction mentioned above. The 
result of this treatment was, that the fourteen patients were 
cured, having only drank the decoction for six weeks. 
Marochetti then states, that, five years afterwards, he him- 
self had an opportunity of giving this treatment another 
trial. Twenty-six persons who had been bitten by a mad 
dog, were put under his care, viz: nine men, eleven women, 
and six children: he ordered the decoction of the tops of the 
flowers of yellow broom to be given them as soon as possi- 
ble; and upon an attentive examination of their tongues, he 
discovered pimples on five men, three children, and all the 
women. Those who were most wounded were afflicted on 
the third day: the others on the fifth, seventh, or ninth. 
One of the women who had been slightly bitten in the leg 
had no appearance till the twenty-first day. The seven who 
were free from pimples took the decoction of broom for six 
weeks, with success. M. Marochetti thinks that the hydro- 
phobic poison, after having remained in the Wound, fixes 
itself under the tongue, in the orifices of the ducts of the 
submaxillary gland, which are situated on the sides of the 
fraenum. The inflammation of which the little pimples are 
the result, has a peculiar appearance. The time in which 
these pimples appear, is generally between the third and 
ninth day after the bite. If they are not opened before 
twenty -four hours after their appearance, the venom is ab- 
sorbed, and the patient is lost. 
Dumb Madness. — Upon the disease, erroneously deno- 
minated Dumb Madness, I will relate what fell under my 
own observation, and from which a tolerable idea of the 
disorder may be formed: — “In the month of May, 1823, 
a pointer whelp was presented to me by a friend, which I 
knew to be as well bred as any in the kingdom, and on 
that account, I, of course, prized him more highly. The 
Dog was whelped on the 16th of April, of the same year; 
and as soon as I received him, a kennel was appropriated 
for his use in the open air, well littered with wheat straw, 
and kept clean. He had full liberty, and a clear stream of 
water close at' hand, to quench his thirst whenever he 
thought proper. The Dog, as might be expected, was re- 
markably healthy; and, at seven months old, had become 
an amazingly fine animal: at this period, he experienced a 
