APPENDIX.-D. 
355 
finish this important subject by offering a few remarks, calcu¬ 
lated, I would hope, to ease the minds of many individuals on 
some material points which are apt to occasion much unneces¬ 
sary dread, and much false alarm. I would first notice, that, by 
a very distorted view of the risk incurred by association with 
him, the dog, at once our faithful friend, gallant protector, and 
useful servant, is in danger of being proscribed altogether. 
Many of those who are otherwise warmly attached to the ani¬ 
mal, yet dare not indulge in the pleasure of his company, from 
a totally unnecessary dread, grounded on a supposition that he 
can become rabid from a variety of other circumstances besides 
the bite of another affected dog. I would beg to assure those 
who think thus, that they are entirely in error; nothing but a 
successful inoculation can produce it; nor, out of those actually 
bitten, do more than a third, probably, become mad, even when 
an effectual inoculation has been made ; thus, there is little rea¬ 
son for all the alarm that is felt. The disease never makes its 
first appearance with any mischievous tendency: indeed, so 
little danger is there from the early stage of the complaint, that 
I should entertain no fear whatever were I confined altogether 
day and night in the same room with half a dozen dogs, all duly 
inoculated with rabid virus. The slightest degree of attention 
will always detect some peculiarity in the affected dog’s man¬ 
ner—some departure from his usual habits; and this may be 
observed one day, at least, commonly two days, before the most 
active symptoms commence, or before any mischievous disposi¬ 
tion shows itself; and which, at the worst, is not often practised 
towards those they are habituated to, if not meddled with. In a 
great number of the cases that occur, no mischievous disposi¬ 
tion at all appears towards human persons through the whole 
complaint, except it be called forth by opposition and violence ; 
which consideration tends to reduce danger still more mate¬ 
rially. It ought likewise, in no small degree, to lessen the 
dread and fear of this malady, even when the worst has hap¬ 
pened, and a human person has been unfortunately bitten by a 
rabid animal, that a ready, simple, and efficacious remedy is still 
at hand, the application of which is attended with little incon- 
