46 
J. H. ADAMSON. 
Hydrophobia is a disease originating in the canine, and less 
frequently in the feline. The poison or ptomaine effects are 
recognized by its morbid action and results in the animal 
economy. Rabies, or as it is erroneously called, hydrophobia, 
so far as the lower animals are concerned, is a disease which has 
been known from very early times, in fact centuries ago, but 
just how long the world has been cognizant of the fact, is not 
clear to us, and I am confident in asserting that it has taxed 
severely the medical and veterinary clinical sagacity, ever since 
its advent, throughout all generations up to the present era. 
Plutarch asserts that, according to Athenordorus, it was first 
discovered in mankind in the days of Asclepiadea, the descend¬ 
ants of the God of Medicine, Esenlapins, by his sons Podalirius 
and Macheon, who spread through Greece and Asia Minor as 
an order of priests, prophets, and physicians, preserving the 
results of their medical experience acquired in the temples as a 
hereditary sect. Hydrophobia is also alluded to in the works 
of Aristotle, Xenophon, Virgil, Horace, Ovid, Celsus, Galen, 
and subsequently investigations were published by Boerhaave, 
Van Swieten, John Hunter, Majendie, Breschet, Virchow, Reder, 
Hertwig, Pasteur, Klebbs, Koch, Sternberg, Williams, Fleuring, 
Meynell, and many other notable men of our day. 
In 1271 wolves were known to be affected with rabies in 
Franconia. In 1590 rabies prevailed in Spain, also in the same 
year at Monthelliard. During the early part of the century 
rabies was very prevalent, both in this country and in Europe. 
In 1869 there was a great outbreak in the north of England, 
and a great scare was caused among the kennels of fox hounds, 
and a vast number of dogs were destroyed to arrest the epi¬ 
demic, also again, in 1876 and 1878, in the southern counties of 
England, where the lowlands seem to favor its propagation. It 
has occurred in every State in this Union at some time or 
another during the present century, but fortunately never to any 
alarming extent. 
Causes of Rabies .—Opinions are divided at this date, as to 
the spontaneity of the origin of rabies. Some writers maintain 
