SOCIETY MEETINGS. 
207 
the paroxysms which seized him, and the next moment it was all that four atten¬ 
dants could do to hold him down on the floor. May it not be the same in the 
case of the dog ? Dr. Ernst believes it is, and that most of the cases we see of 
furious rabies canina result from exciting the animals, and that in most instances 
if the dog were left to himself it would take the form of what we call “dumb 
rabies.” 
He then gave a summary of the doings of the Institute Pasteur, over seven 
thousand persons having received the protective inoculation in four years with a 
loss of only 67 per cent., the percentage of mortality being less from year to year 
as the methods of inoculation become more and more exact. There is also a 
greater fatality among those bitten on the head or face. 
As to the cauterization of bites from rabid animals, the cases afterwards be¬ 
ing treated by Pasteur, cauterization being performed with the hot iron and also 
various chemical caustics. Of those treated in this way, and afterwards receiving 
Pasteur’s protective inoculation, the per cent, of deaths was greater than in cases 
where the bite was left alone. Dr. Ernst thinks cauterization a mistake, but believes 
in strong ligation, if possible, and then sucking the wound. There is no danger 
of absorbing the poison by the mouth if the buccal mucous membrane is healtl]}\ 
Pasteur, in his Annals of the Institute, prints a map showing how muchmoie 
common the disease is in some localities than others in France, and also gives 
tables showing that hot weather has nothing to do with increasing the frequency 
of the disease, it generally being more common in the winter months. 
Dr. Ernst then spoke of the first case of rabies in this locality being brought 
to his attention by the Secretary of this Association a year ago, audits increasing 
frequency up to the present time. He has also known of five cases of human 
rabies near Boston within the last four months, and more may have occurred 
which were not correctly diagnosed. He also said that all scientific bodies 
should protest against such evidence being produced as was given at a legislative 
hearing on muzzling dogs at the State House last winter. 
In answer to questions asked him by the different members, Dr. Ernst said 
that he believed in the efficacy of Pasteur’s protective inoculation. That there 
is no way of making a positive diagnosis of rabies except by inoculation experi¬ 
ments. That he doubts if there be any spontaneous recovery from rabies, and 
if a case with symptoms of rabies recovered, he would not believe it was rabies 
unless it was proved in some way by inoculation experiments. He believed that 
if every dog in the community were muzzled for three months the disease would 
be stamped out; but it would be almost impossible to enforce such a law even if 
it were passed. 
The President then called upon Dr. J. O. Whitney, who cited a num¬ 
ber of rabies among people which he had seen, or that had been called to his at¬ 
tention in the neighborhood of Pawtucket, the instances given occurring at inter¬ 
vals from forty years ago down to the present spring, all the cases being directly 
traceable to bites of rabid dogs. Dr. Whitney also spoke of the greater danger 
from the bite of a rabid wolf. He also compared the mortality among people 
protected by Pasteur’s method—less than one per cent.—and the mortality 
among those who received no protective inoculation where the death rate was 
fifteen per cent, of those bitten. 
