312 
PATHOLOGY. 
had never any marks of the difeafe. The rabbit was acci> 
dentally killed on the fourth day from the experiment. 
But the experiments of Majendie led to a refult precifely 
oppofite. 
With regard to the aftivity of the poifon of the rabid 
dog, the fafts which have been collected have been 
fo vaguely dated, that the inferences are quite inconclu- 
five. Among the older writers, indeed, there was much 
credulity, and they have tranfmitted to us many fabulous 
liiffories in regard to the operation of the rabid virus. 
“Scarce any poifon known (fays Hillary, relying upon 
the truth of thofe tales) is fo infectious, or fo eafily and 
readily communicated by fo many and various ways, as 
this of a mad dog is : for the flighted bite, only tearing 
the fkin, without drawing blood ; or the fmalled quantity 
of the Haver of the mad animal, either frefh or dried for 
fome time, taken upon the tongue or lips ; or rending a 
perfon’s clothes and leaving the llaver on them to dry, 
has produced this difeafe ; as a woman had her coat torn 
by a mad dog, which die a confiderable time after fewed 
up, and bit od' the thread with her teeth, and fome time 
after died rabid from biting od’ that thread. (Hildanus 
Obf. Chir.) Alfo a man only kiffing his children to take 
his leave of them when he had the rabies upon him, they 
all foon after died rabid. (Palmarius de Morb. Contag.) 
Killing a favourite dog that was mad had the fame 
effeCf, &c. and produced this mod fatal difeafe.” See 
Hamilton, vol. i. p. 98. 
In the London Medical Repofitory for April 1814., are 
two cafes, from which (if we could be certain that the 
difeafe was Lyfia) it would appear probable that a dog, 
free from any charafteridic mark of hydrophobia, and 
apparently in the highed date of health, may communi¬ 
cate by its bite this mod dreadful malady. One of the 
cafes was that of a dog, apparently ailing nothing, who 
liad repeatedly licked a woman’s chopped hands. The 
other of a dog, who afterwards continued in health, and 
remained in the family it belonged to, having bitten a 
boy feverely in order to efcape, when it was tealed by that 
and other boys. This lad cafe is fo very remarkable, that 
we cannot refrain from giving it at length. It is related 
by Mr. Parkinfon, furgeon, of Hoxton-fquare. 
“The fubjeft of this cafe was a boy, about ten years of 
age. He came to me, accompanied by four other boys 
older than himfelf, he having been bitten by a dog. The 
canine teeth had pafl'ed quite through between the 
metacarpal bones of the firft and middle finger, and of 
the ring and little finger ; the fkin of the back of the hand 
and of the fingers was alfo torn in feveral places. By in¬ 
quiry of the boy himfelf, apart from his companions, I 
learnt, that, as they were going along a rather narrow- 
walk, one of the boys cried out, ‘ There he is !’ meaning 
a dog which they had been in the habit of teafing; that, 
as they were between him and his home, they ranged 
themfelves acrofs the walk to dop him ; and that the dog, 
after making one unfuccefsful attempt, made a pufh be¬ 
tween him and the wall; which he endeavouring to pre¬ 
vent by putting out his hand, the dog feized it, and then 
ran by and gained his home. As obtaining correct infor¬ 
mation was here of fo much importance, I examined all 
the other boys feparately, who all confirmed the account 
of the unfortunate boy, and were all fatisfied that it was 
the fame dog that they had been accuffomed to teafe. 
Difcovering no circumdance whatever which would war¬ 
rant a fufpicion of the bite having been inflifted other- 
wife than defenfively, I walked the wounds with fpirics of 
turpentine, and drefled them with a terebinthinate 
liniment. Still anxious as to the date of the dog, I made 
additional inquiry refpefting it; when I obtained every 
affurance of the dog being in perfect health. 
“ The wounds were drefled with red precipitate and a 
terebinthinate ointment, and healed in about five days. 
But, at nearly three weeks from the infiiftion of the bite, 
I was fent for to the boy, he having had fome flight 
feveriflmefs the night before, which was rather increaled. 
My fon accompanied me, and we foon difcovered that the 
dreadful malady was edablifhed. Ignorant of any mea- 
fures that could be relied on, and as Pyrexia, with evi¬ 
dent inflammation of the tonfils, exifled, we agreed on the 
experiment of taking away blood, which was done to the 
quantity of fix or feven ounces, by which a flight degree 
of faintnefs was produced, without any apparent amend¬ 
ment. The afliffance of Dr. Yeiiowly was now requefted, 
and immediately obtained ; when, it being confidered that 
no medicine had manifefted any remedial powers in this 
difeafe, it was agreed to make trial of the effefts of lead, 
and to endeavour to moderate the more urgent fpafms 
by the employment of henbane. The experiment was 
fully made, the fuperacetate of lead and the extract of 
hyofciamus were had recourfe to, but without the leaft 
advantage; the child, after fuffering from every decided 
fymptom of hydrophobia, being feized with convulfions 
fo violent as to require two men to retain him in the bed ; 
to which fucceeded a Hate of quiet infenfibility, lading 
about half an hour, and terminating in his death, which 
took place on the third day from the attack. 
“ After this fatal termination, the dog, which had 
inflifted the bite, again became the fubjeft of inquiry. 
Dr. Yeiiowly and myfelf immediately, therefore, went to 
its tuafter, who regretted very feelingly the fad cataf- 
trophe, but at the fame time faid that he doubted how it 
could be attributed to his dog; fince, although he had 
reafon to believe, from the provocation the boys were 
perpetually employing, that he might have inflifted the 
bite ; yet, as we fliould fee, he did not appear to be in a 
ftate which W'ould have enabled him to communicate fo 
dreadful a malady. The dog, a fine healthy fpaniel, now 
rufned in, and flew on his matter's knees, licking his face 
and mouth with much fondnefs ; his malter permitting 
him thus to manifeft his affeftion for feveral minutes, for 
the purpofe of evincing his reliance on the healthinefs of 
the dog. I then again queftioned the other boys in the 
molt particular manner, and found them all agreeing in 
the dog which we had juft feen, and the dog which had 
inflifted the bite, being the fame. Not fatisfied even with 
this, I watched the dog during its continuance in the 
neighbourhood, which was for at lead two years, without 
feeing reafon to fufpeft it of a difpofition to injure any 
one. Within thefe laft five days I have repeated my in¬ 
quiries, and have learnt that the dog was well a few 
months ago.—J. P. Feb. 1814.” 
According to the relater of a cafe quoted by Dr. 
Hamilton, the difeafe, which took place on the eighth 
day, and was fatal on the eleventh, arofe from contaft 
only of the rabid faliva, without any injury done to the 
perfon. The fame author fays, “ A young woman had 
her apron torn and Havered by a mad dog leaping on her, 
and attempting to bite. Fortunately lhe received no 
other injury from him, by the timely afliftance offered, 
and by the loofe part of her clothing which he laid hold 
of. But imprudently, and without proper refleftion, Ihe 
began to mend the rent in her apron before the part was 
either waffled or well dried; and as imprudently, or 
through habit, inftead of cutting the thread with fciffars, 
bit it off with her teeth. Lo, what followed ! In a few 
weeks fhe was feized with hydrophobia, which proved 
fatal.” There is good reafon to believe, however, that 
there muff have been fome flight fcratch, unperceived by 
the patient, in the firft of Hamilton’s cafes, through 
which the virus made its entrance; and, in the feconcl, 
it of courfe found its way into the conftitution through 
the abforbenls of the mouth. After all, thefe aftonilhing 
accounts are perhaps for the molt part falfe ; for an excel- 
five fearof a difeafe often leads toextravagantaffumptions 
as to its aftivity ; as we know, from the caution which 
fome old popular writers evinced, that we fliould not 
drink out of the fame cup, ufe the lame towel, &c. as that 
which has been uled by a patient of Lues. 
The part of the body which is bitten feems to have fome 
influence on the probability of the attacks A bite in 
the 
