OBSERVATIONS ON RABIES. 
631 
home by numerous persons armed with pitchforks, &c. and was 
unapproachable, all being* afraid to go near him on account of 
his fury. On going into the garden where the dog had retired 
to his kennel, my friend found his eyes extremely bright and 
sparkling, his mouth foaming with saliva ; he was lying in the 
corner of his kennel, and extremely spiteful to all who came 
near him: these w ere the most prominent among other symp¬ 
toms. My friend went to his surgery, and prepared a ball con¬ 
taining one drachm of calomel, and gave it to the animal: three 
hours afterwards, four ounces of sulphate of magnesia dissolved 
in some oatmeal gruel was given to the unfortunate creature, 
and, notwithstanding several copious stools had taken place, 
the saline dose was repeated in three hours after the first. By this 
time great weariness was produced, and doses of gruel w ere 
frequently administered: the next day similar food, together 
w T ith small doses of sulphate of magnesia, of about one ounce 
twice a-day for two days, were given to him, when it w as left off*, 
and in a short time the dog w as entirely well. Now 7 in this case 
there w as not the least doubt, that it was an aggravated state of 
intestinal inflammation, which had been mistaken both by the 
populace and a scientific medical practitioner for madness or 
rabies. There is also not the least doubt that numerous cases 
of inflammatory and neglected maladies may be confounded 
with this disease, or, what is not unlikely, it may degenerate into 
perfect rabies; and I am further of opinion, that it not unfre- 
quently occurs from the circumstances I have already men¬ 
tioned. Besides, there is not the least doubt that, if a case was 
carefully w r atched, the ultimate symptoms would occasionally 
be found to bear some analogy to those of rabies, prior to mor¬ 
tification commencing. 
The last head to which I shall draw your attention on the pre¬ 
sent occasion, is one which 1 believe has not engaged the 
attention of human or veterinary pathologists, but which is one 
highly deserving* of their attention. 
We know that throughout all classes of animals, and of plants 
in fact, all animated bodies possess peculiar organs necessary for 
the procreation of their species, with their corresponding series 
of functions. 
At a certain period peculiar to every animal*, certain desires occur 
at stated seasons, w herein their sexual propensities must be grati¬ 
fied, and in some this takes place with the most unbounded fury; 
and in those cases where it happens that there are more males 
than females, violent conflicts ensue, and there is not the least 
* 1 mean, of course, tlie lower animals; for in the human female the pro¬ 
cess of impregnation is capable of being effected at all periods of the year. 
