230 
ANIMAL PATHOLOGY. 
get at grass, and will devour straw instead of it; you will, therefore, 
look for the faeces, or other extraneous matter mingled with the 
straw, before you will dream of the existence of rabies. Some of 
my house pupils will recollect the amusing blunder of a very 
great man on this point. It became a little teazing at last on 
account of the foolish obstinacy with which he maintained his error. 
Rabies in the Human Being .—Our subject will hardly be 
complete without a slight and hesitating glance at the symptoms 
during life, and the post-mortem appearances of this disease, in 
the human being. 
The presence of the virus seems for awhile to produce little irrita¬ 
tion in the bitten part, and the wound rapidly or more slowly heals, 
according to its size or situation or the constitution of the patient: 
but after an uncertain period of time there is uneasiness, inflam¬ 
mation of the bitten part, occasionally re-opening of the wound, 
a distressing feeling of lassitude, a dread of some undefined evil, 
a peculiar irritability of temper against which the patient in vain 
struggles, a singularly altered expression of countenance, the 
impression of which rarely forgotten, and occasionally, of itself, it 
is sufficiently indicative of the nature of the disease. The irritabi¬ 
lity increases ; there is not a sound or a motion that does not startle 
the patient. Presently various imaginary objects of interest or 
terror present themselves. He watches the course of some fan¬ 
cied intruder. He seeks or he avoids him. Every motion is 
performed with a hurried start, and an uncertainty of effect. 
The delirium possesses a strangely characteristic peculiarity. 
The sufferer is altogether lost for awhile—he is surrounded by 
persons far, far away—he converses with them of things long 
gone by: but the charm is curiously broken in an instant. A 
word—the slightest sound is sufficient to recall him to himself, 
although it is only to wander again the next instant. He is 
oppressed with viscid saliva, which adheres to the fauces, and 
which, with the most violent efforts, he strives to throw* from him. 
Practical Development of the Disease .—There is one circum¬ 
stance of which mention is made in the records of human 
medicine, but it is of exceedingly rare occurrence; for the number 
of cases of rabies in the human being are few compared with 
those of other diseases, and in the dog, the proportion of deaths 
from this horrible malady is greater than he who has not been 
accustomed to the treatment of these animals would think to be 
possible. Two girls were bitten by the same dog. One of them 
died hydrophobous. The other soon afterwards exhibited the 
same premonitory symptoms as her sister—heaviness—general 
indisposition—excessive irritability succeeding to this, and even 
some fear of water. These alarming presages, however, were of 
