FROM ANIMALS TO THE HUMAN BEING. 
291 
rather to be nothing more than an altered state of that fluid. 
M. Renault dipped a lancet in the saliva of a rabid dog, and 
then plunged it into a fold of the skin of a horse. At the expi¬ 
ration of eighty-six days that animal became rabid. Before 
this, MM. Magendie and Breschet had inoculated two dogs 
with the saliva of a man that died hydrophobous. One of them 
became rabid eight days after the inoculation. 
Rabies may be communicated to all herbivorous animals; but 
they are incapable of propagating it in their turn, whether it be 
among animals of their own species or others*. 
Glanders presents itself under an acute and chronic form. It 
was formerly regarded as extremely contagious in its chronic 
form. Some time afterwards it was less dreaded ; and cases of 
infection from chronic glanders were considered to be rare. At 
the present day, the greater number of veterinarians assure us 
there is no dano;er about it. 
As to acute glanders, it is a very different affair; it is justly 
considered as highly contagious among animals of the same 
genus, the horse, the ass, and the mule. How is it with regard 
to the human being? This is a question as yet undecided. The 
facts which are adduced in favour of contagion are neither 
numerous nor precise. 
The Journals have lately contained some accounts of the sup¬ 
posed communication of it to the human being. That which 
made the greatest impression was related by M. Rayer, in the 
Academy of Medicine, in February 1837. It gave rise to a 
brilliant discussion, in w'hich MM. Rayer, Velpeau, and Dupuy 
were ranged on one side, and MM. Barthelemy and Bouley on 
the other. It had respect to a singular malady of which a man 
of the name of Prot had died, and who had slept in a stable in 
which was a mare that laboured under acute farcy and glanders. 
The first three of these Academicians believed that the malady 
of Prot w'as the result of contagion. The disease of the qua¬ 
druped was communicated to the man. They founded their 
opinion upon the fact, that the disease was different from all 
others that were known to belong to the human species, and that 
it had considerable analogy with the symptoms and lesions of 
glanders and farcy. A marc had been inoculated with matter 
taken from the pustules which appeared on the poor fellow, and 
ulcers were produced that seemed to be identical with those of 
glanders. 
The others, and particularly M. Barthelemy, could not trace 
any resemblance between the malady of Prot and glanders in the 
* The statement of M. Levergne is here literally translated. Gther opi¬ 
nions are maintained in the Lecture at the beginning of this number.—Y. 
