348 
J. A. COUTURE. 
police killed no less than twenty-two ; of which several showed unmis¬ 
takable symptoms of hydrophobia. Within the last month or so, I 
think, at least twenty deaths from rabies have been reported in the 
newspapers. . . . ”* These statements are not very encouraging 
when we think that the London Hospital is only one of many, and that 
the number of dogs in that city is to be counted by hundreds of 
thousands. 
The term hydrophobia, derived from two Greek words signifying 
fear of water , commonly employed to designate this malady, is not at 
all correct when applied to animals, for dogs, specially, appear some¬ 
times to be very anxious to get it, some will plunge their nose deep into 
the pan containing the water; whilst it is a very improper name to 
designate rabies in human patients. The fear of water is not a charac¬ 
teristic symptom in man, as it is not always present in this malady, and 
those who have read the experiment made by Doctor I. H. Griscom at 
the New York Hospital in 1855 will doubt even whether there is a dread 
of that liquid. A man had been bitten at the lip by a mad dog ; when 
the doctor saw him his pulse numbered 160 beats, the excitement was 
intense, the attendants had been obliged to strap the patient on his bed. 
He was warned by these attendants that the sick man was much 
afraid of water. However, the doctor resolved to test whether there 
was really or not a dread of that fluid in this disease. He induced the 
patient to take a little water in his mouth and keep it there, not to swal¬ 
low it. To this the patient acceded, and after awhile he emptied his 
mouth. Then the doctor gave him a piece of ice, and told him to let 
it melt in his mouth, and try to swallow the water, drop by drop, as the 
ice melted. This was done, and another piece of ice was given. The 
patient said it brought him great comfort. From this the doctor argues 
that there is not a dread of water , but of all sorts of liquids and, per¬ 
haps, also of solid substances that are to be swallowed (as the patient 
himself told him), on account of their bringing on irritation of the 
fauces, f 
Causes. —Authors differ widely in their opinions with regard to the 
predisposing causes of rabies. It was once believed that hot weather 
was productive of hydrophobia, but it results from many experiments 
that this is not the case. “ An analysis from Mr. Bonley of reports for 
the six years from 1863 to 1868 gives: For the spring months, 83 cases; 
for the summer months, 74 ; for autumn, 64 ; and for the winter months, 
* Montreal Gazette , aad November, 1877. 
t Eve’s Surgical Cases. 
