578 
D. E. SALMON. 
either deny the existence of rabies or contend that if the disease 
exists it is so rare as not to be deserving of attention. The 
existence of such opinions in our profession emphasizes the im¬ 
portance of investigations to collect the facts and of discussions 
to fix these facts in the minds of our confreres. 
It is not many years since the effort was made to eradicate 
contagious pleuro-pneumonia from this country, and then we 
were met by the same class of reckless assertions, to the effect 
that there was no pleuro-pneumonia in the country, that pleuro¬ 
pneumonia of cattle was not contagious, and that we might 
kill all the cattle in the country and when we stocked up again 
we would have the same disease, since it was due to the condi¬ 
tions of environment and not to contagion. How completely 
all of these assertions have been disproved is known to every 
one of you. Again, it is not many years since an estimable 
army surgeon was presenting papers before our medical associa¬ 
tions to prove that there was no such disease as Texas fever. 
To-day Texas fever is so well known that no one would under¬ 
take to question its existence and specific nature. Of late years, 
it has been the existence and specific nature of rabies that has 
been doubted and questioned and ridiculed. 
THE REALITY OF RABIES. 
What do we know about the existence of rabies and how 
do we know it ? Let us briefly inquire. 
From the time of Aristotle (322 b. c.) till the present day we 
have clear accounts of this disease existing through every age, 
and provoking fear and horror in many countries. It was 
always caused by the bite of an animal, which animal was gen¬ 
erally alleged to be rabid. It was almost invariably described 
as fatal in men and animals. The symptoms from the earliest 
times have been given as nervousness, restlessness, fear, irritabil¬ 
ity, paroxysms of fury, spasmodic contractions of certain muscles, 
paralysis and death. Aristotle admitted that the disease was 
fatal to dogs and every other creature which they bite, except 
mankind. This early mistake in regard to the immunity of 
man has been carefully handed down across the centuries and is 
