THE AETIOLOGY OF RABIES. 
221 
ii the animals would not make its appearance until about the 
fourteenth or fifteenth day. Accordingly, rabbits were inoculated 
rom the child’s brain removed at the autopsy, and they died with 
he usual symptoms of rabies, which appeared on about the fif- 
eenth day. The result of this experiment seems very satisfactory, 
>ut there is apparently a source of error in the possibility of the* 
>eriods of incubation of the respective viruses being altered by 
heir passage through the human being. 
An important question immediately arises in connection with 
he conclusions to be drawn from the inoculation of these differ¬ 
ed persons, and that is in respect to the existence of genuine 
abies in the many dogs by which they were bitten. As much 
are as possible is taken to ascertain this fact, but, of course, in 
ome individual cases it cannot be satisfactorily determined, inas¬ 
much as the dogs are so often killed before the presence of rabies 
las been absolutely shown or before the animals have been ex' 
mined by competent veterinarians. In many of the cases there 
an be no question as to the genuine nature of the malady with 
diich the dogs were affected, and, as the number of persons 
lready inoculated is very large and is being constantly aug¬ 
mented, the importance to be attached to the doubtful cases is 
proportionately diminished. The conditions obtaining in the 
ases of the first Americans—four in number, who were sent to 
I 1 7 
aris for treatment in the care of Dr. F. S. Billings—as regards 
o o 
his point would have been exceptionally satisfactory providing 
j nly the dog by which these children were bitten was shown 
cf be rabid. This, apparently, was not the case. Six chil¬ 
dren and a number of dogs were bitten by the same dog, sup¬ 
posed to be rabid. The animal was immediately killed, but a 
mmber of the dogs bitten were placed under confinement. The 
rounds of all the children were cauterized after the lapse of a 
ew hours. Four of the children were sent to Paris and were 
reated by M. Pasteur; the two others remained at home. 
In this case the dogs which were bitten and placed under con¬ 
venient, and the two children which remained at home, served 
s a control on those inoculated, but, inasmuch as more than 
linety days have elapsed since the accident and neither the unin- 
