NATURE AND TREATMENT OF RABIES. 191 
to allow of the animal wearing it to open its mouth freely and 
widely. 
Quarantine. 
The idea of completely extinguishing rabies by establishing 
a quarantine of several months* duration amongst dogs is 
based on the assumption that the disease is only maintained 
by contagion, and never arises spontaneously, and that, 
therefore, if these animals could be confined for a certain 
period without any intercourse or any chance of the conta- 
gium being transmitted from those that were infected at the 
commencement of the measure, the pestilence must inevit¬ 
ably die out. 
The preventive scheme proposed by Bardsley rests upon 
the validity of the following propositions :—1st. That the 
disease always originates in the canine species. 2nd. That 
it never arises in them spontaneously. 3rd. That the con¬ 
tagion, wh^n received by them, never remains latent more 
than a few months. Quarantine would, no doubt, be as 
effectual in stamping out rabies as in stamping out any purely 
contagious malady, were those propositions absolutely correct, 
and the measure completely and permanently enforced. But, 
unfortunately, the disease originates in other than the canine 
species, and in other creatures besides the dog; and un¬ 
fortunately, also, we are far from, convinced that it never 
occurs spontaneously ; on the contrary, though ready to admit 
that in the great majority of cases it is spread by contagion, 
there is evidence which tends to show that it may arise without 
this influence. 
Mad Animals 1 or those Wounded by them. 
The following measures should be rigorously enforced :— 
1. That dogs suspected of or attacked by rabies, or one that 
has been bitten by a rabid animal, should not be killed at 
once and buried, unless it is positively ascertained that no 
person has been wounded by it. 2. If a person has been 
bitten by an animal really affected with rabies, or suspected 
to be affected with that disease, it should only be killed 
if the malady is unmistakably present. 3. If it is only a 
suspicious case, it is well not to kill it immediately, but to 
keep it confined and under close surveillance, so as to be 
able to verify the true state of the animaPs health. If the 
animal should be rabid, then it must be killed and buried. 
4. If an animal suspected of or affected with the disease 
escapes from its owner, or from a locality, or if an animal of 
this description is seen in a locality, the police should be 
immediately warned. They, in their turn, should, without 
