330 
APPENDIX.—D. 
without a long series of experiments. Fortunately this is a 
question of little amount; as there is little likelihood of any 
inoculation taking place from the lifeless carcase. 
I now return to the text of Mr. Blaine :—“ Having thus 
traced, says he, the rabid poison from its rise and origin to its 
insertion into the animal body, let us now proceed to inquire, 
what are the chances that it will prove baneful; what time 
usually intervenes between its insertion and active operation j 
and, when so acting, what are the symptoms it produces, and 
what its supposed modus operandi ? 
“ Of the numbers bitten by a rabid animal , many escape without 
infection. —A variety of circumstances may tend to this favorable 
issue, among which may be reckoned the intervention of sub¬ 
stances between the teeth of the biter and the flesh of the bitten; 
as the wool of sheep, the thick hair of some dogs, and the clothes 
of human persons. 
“ The inherent aptitude in different classes of animal bodies to 
receive it is, also, not the same. —As might be expected, it is 
greatest in the caninae, particularly in the dog and wolf ; yet it 
is probable that not one-half of either of these germinate the 
virus received. The proportions among other quadrupeds we 
are more in the dark about. Mr. Youatt thinks that the ma¬ 
jority of inoculated horses perish, but among cattle he is of 
opinion the proportion is less. I should, however, myself think, 
that both enjoy a much greater immunity than dogs; otherwise 
we should meet with more rabid cases among them in agri¬ 
cultural districts than we do. Human subjects, both constitu¬ 
tionally and fortuitously, are least obnoxious to it. Neither is 
there room to doubt that the animal frame, generally, is some¬ 
times less apt than at others to receive the contagion, dependent 
probably on a constitutional idiosyncrasy generated within, or 
gathered from, the operation of external circumstances, as pecu 
liarity of situation, variations of temperature, qualities in ali 
ments, &c., &c. Not only do facts coincide with this opinion, 
but it is impossible otherwise to account for the epidemial as 
well as endemial character which the rabid malady sometimes 
assumes. 
