HYDROPHOBIA. 
349 
75. A report arranged by Mr. St. Cyr, of the Lyons Veterinary College, 
shows that out of 87 cases of rabid dogs admitted at the hospital, 34 
came during the spring months; 20 during the summer months ; 4 dur¬ 
ing autumn ; and 24 during the winter months.”* This shows that the 
hot weather has nothing to do with the development of rabies, the 
largest number of rabid animals occurring during the temperate months. 
Moreover, Mosely, who has lived in the West Indies nearly twenty 
years, says “ that he has never known this disease in that country. 
Rabies was ignored at Aleppo where dogs died in great number from 
the want of food and water, and the heat of the climate.”f 
Thirst has been thought to determine rabies in the canine species. 
“ Thus in Venice, in the last century, all barbers and coffee house 
keepers were obliged to keep a small tub or pan of water before their 
doors, particularly during hot weather, that the dogs running about the 
streets might drink when they wanted.J However, this argument has 
been proved erroneous by the following experiment made by some 
French veterinary surgeons. They obtained forty dogs, and withheld 
all drinks from them till they died, and not one of them exhibited 
rabies.§ It is generally admitted now that neither the climate, the sea¬ 
son, hunger nor thirst can produce the disease ; but I think with May- 
hew that irritation or teasing, by exciting the nervous irritability of the 
dog, appears more likely than any physical want to develop the 
malady. || 
There is a diversity of opinion among authors with regard to the 
spontaneous origin of rabies. Some, as Bollinger, say “ that rabies, as 
all other contagious diseases, is not developed spontaneously, and that 
all the etiological influences as the age, sex, climate, suppressed sexual 
appetite, and want of freedom are neither direct nor predisposing 
causes.”^ Fleming is of the same opinion with regard to the etiologi¬ 
cal influences, but he thinks very positively that this disease is capable 
of spontaneous origin. He says : “ There are few now-a-days who are 
not convinced that it will occasionally appear in a spontaneous manner 
and without any certain assignable cause. No doubt the transmission 
of the disease by inoculation furnishes by far the largest number of 
cases, and many of these, from the obscure manner in which the inocu¬ 
lation has been effected, appear to be due to other causes than that of a 
traumatic character ; but , notwithstanding , the disease must have a com- 
* Williams, quoted from Fleming. 
§ Ibid. 
t Mosely on Hydrophobia. 
1 ) Mayhevv on the Dog. 
% Ibid. 
T Mosely. 
