1807.] 
fly at the perfon-or animal near them ;, 
when it fubfides, they become quiet and 
harmlefs.. At this ftage they are, how- 
ever, eafily roufed to anger. ne 
Having thus..curlorily ftood advocate 
for the canine, it may be fuppofed that, 
I include the feline race. within the pale 
af my mercy. 
Man under this difeafe, though at- 
tacked at intervals with fits of delirium, ’ 
in which he may do mifchief to byftand- 
ers, 1f not reftrained. is no more. to be 
confidered mad, or the object. of terror, 
than any one under a fit of delirium in. 
an highly inflammatory fever. The bite 
he may unconfcioutly inflict will be at- 
tended with no more evil confequences, 
than if it had been given under a fit of 
common anger. The faliva copioufly 
roaping from his mouth, threatening fut- 
focation, has been, and (1 confidently 
believe) may be handled with as little. 
danger as the faliva of thofe in perfect 
bealth, 
It may perhaps be expected, after 
mentioning the unfounded doétrinc rela- 
ive to the communicability of the com- 
plaint by man to his fellow, and after 
encouraging the commiferating neighbour 
fearlefsly .to approach and allift in 
{moothing, by fympathy and attentions, 
the laft hours oi agonized exiltence, that 
I thould fubjoin fome hints on the pre- 
vention, of a malady which no human 
ievacity has ever, in a fingle inftance, 
been able to cure. 
Suppofe a bite to be juft inflicted by 
the accidental encounter of a rabid ani- 
mal, and no. medical affittance within 
immediate reach, (or, at leat, fuch at- 
tendance for. feveral hours, or even a’ 
«lay, not to be procured,) let not the 
fufferer be fo much overpowered by ter- 
rorand apprehenfion as to prevent his 
taking immediate meafures for his fafety. 
Let a rough coarfe cloth be direétly ap- 
plied to wipe the wound, and clear it 
from the faliva adhering to the furface. 
‘To encourage the bleeding, however, will 
be ufelefs; but ablution at this time be- 
comes a more certain fafeguard. This J 
would recommend to be purfued with 
perfeverance, firft with warm water, and 
afterwards with cold. It fhould be pour- 
ed over the part from a veflel held at 
fome difiance, to take the advantage of 
gravitation, By thus impreffing with 
more force, its particles will fink deeper 
into the interftices of the fibres, with 
greater hopes of diffolving and wathing 
way the faliva lett in thele receifes by 
On the Prevention and Cure of Hydrophobia. 43. 
the creature’s teeth. The ablution fhould 
be profecuted for an hour at leaft, with- 
out intermiffion. ‘Though this be a com< 
mendable prophylactic within every one’s 
power immediately after ‘an injury of 
this kind; yet total reliance. muft not be 
implicitly placed in its efficacy.- As foon 
as the atliftance of a furgeon can be pro. 
cured, it will be incumpent on the 
wounded perfon to call for his aid. The’ 
dettruction of the bitten part wall be ne~’ 
ceflary. 
Among the various means of accom-* 
plifhing this, the potential cautery is to’ 
be preferred, It is the quickeft im ac-_ 
tion; and it is alfo the nature of this 
vegetable alkaline cautftic, prepared in 
the ufual way with lime, to hquify on’ 
the part, and {pread, farther indeed than’ 
is generally wanted in.common cafes, 
This is one reafon why I recommend it. 
‘Another is, on account of tins very lie? 
quifaction, which makes it penetrate? 
deeper, and therefore more hkely to” 
arreft every particle of mferted poifon,' 
In this property of melting and pene-' 
rating almott inftantancoully, though’ 
rendering it inconvenient in other cafes, | 
hes its preference here. Slaugh after’ 
flaugh may be removed by retouchmg, 
till we are fatisfied that all is deftroyed, 
wherever the tufk had entered. 
The lunar cauttic has been ufed, but? 
found to fail, even in the hands of the 
late Mr. John Huvter. In communiecat~’ 
ing formerly with me on this fubjeét, he’ 
doubted, indeed, whether every part had;: 
in the inftance then under review, been 
fufficiently cauterized: But he was ‘an 
accurate, not a carelefs or timid opera- 
tor; and I apprehend that it was to the 
nature of the cauftic ta which the failure’ 
was folely attributable. It penetrates? 
but little, forms a hard efchar, and i§ 
fometimes days before it falls off to leave 
a new furface for retouching. The knife 
has been likewife found to fail; and, 
perhaps, through the ditiiculty of deftroy+ 
ing by it every particle of fibre inoculat- 
ed with thé faliva. S63 
Refpeéting internal medicines at this 
time, [ am filent. There is ‘as yet 1d 
difeafe in the fyltem, and mternal reme- 
dies canuot remove a non-entity. Hav- 
ing faid this, I need go no farther to 
deprecate the long catalogue of nofirums 
with which the warld has been mmundated 
for centuries, as cures or preventives of 
hydrophobia.” Your’s, &e. “ 
Re Hamuriron, 
Ipfwich, January 23, 1807, i 
Be tor 
“a 
