ANALYSIS Of CONTINENTAL JOURNALS. 583 
found necessary to inoculate the virulent saliva in dogs. It is 
true that most of them fell a sacrifice to the malady, but what is 
remarkable two amongst them, though they showed all the 
symptoms of successful inoculation, unexpectedly recovered 
by the sole efforts of nature. 
Rabies, therefore, when left to itself is curable. The author 
repeats left to itself, because he is convinced that the so- 
called classic treatments are more likely to kill than cure. 
The author is not the only one whohas seen dogs affected with 
rabies recover : several cases of cure have been observed in 
the veterinary school at Lyons. These cases of cure were 
also effected without treatment, the dogs were left to them- 
selves in their kennels. 
The records of human medicine contain also some cases of 
recovery in the human subject; in the course of the present 
year a doctor accidentally inoculated himself with rabid 
virus, being attacked by the malady was cured by the use 
of hot baths. M. Decroix is convinced that the cure was 
effected more by the patient being left quiet than by the 
baths, which in this case being according to the wish of the 
patient did no harm, but had they been imposed as a treatment 
they might have contributed to provoke the paroxysms, and 
thereby hasten the fatal issue. In the present state ot 
medical science all remedies employed ought to be tried on 
animals first, until their curative virtue has been fully esta- 
blished by experience. The best thing to be done in human 
as well as veterinary medicine is to carefully remove all 
causes of excitement in order to prevent as much as possible 
the return of the fits, thereby giving nature a chance to combat 
the malady. By these means cases of recovery would be more 
numerous and a ray of hope might be instilled in those who 
are unfortunately affected with rabies. 
Conclusions : — 
1st. The bites of rabid dogs are rarely followed by the 
invasion of the malady. 
2ndly. Rabies, when all causes of excitement are carefully 
avoided, is neither more frightfully cruel nor painful than 
many other maladies. 
Srdly. It has been shown by experience that rabies is 
curable by the sole efforts of nature. 
