210 
From the collation of many cafes, the 
period between the bite and firft fymp- 
tom of the difeate appears a little fhort- 
er in quadrupeds, than in the human 
fpecies. A dog bitten in Ip{wich, Au- 
guft 30, 1795, died chained, on the 24th 
day after. In the neighbourhood where 
‘Dr. White refided, ieveral animals were 
bitten, all of which took the difeafe and 
@ied within the month. At another 
time, a cow, fome fwine, and other ani- 
mals, the number of which my author 
does not fpecify, bitten by a mad fox, 
were all dead in three weeks. 
M. Bonel afferts, that a dog, a cat, a 
bull, and two cows, bitten and infeéted, 
hkewile died within three weeks. Two 
dogs, mentioned by Dr. Gutherie, died 
within a month trom the bite. <A dog, 
in Ipfwich, wormed when a puppy, from 
an erroneous opinion that it would prove 
a prefervative, went mad fome years 
after, and bit two dogs which died of 
the difeafe in twenty days. A dog, men- 
tioned by Mr. Troot, died fourteen days 
after being bitten. Dr. Weftern men- 
tions two fheep bitten, which died of the 
difeafe in fourteen days. C. Nixon re- 
lates an infiance of a dog which died 
on the tenth day. Mr. Meynell obferv- 
ed the firft fymptoms fourteen days after 
the bite. Dr. Shadwell obferved the 
firft fymptoms in a pig nine days only 
after it was bitten. Dr. Dickfon faw 
the difeafe oceur fo early as the feventh 
day. 
T truft, Mr. Editor, thefe examples 
will bear me out in the opinion that 
T have advanced, refpe¢ting the interval, 
and the time neceffary for a fufpected 
dog’s confinement. Had I more leifure 
for refearch, the catalogue might be 
greatly increafed. 
Before concluding, [ would beg leave 
to point out the necefiity of caution in 
approaching ftrange ‘dogs, ‘or fhewing 
any familiarity with them, however 
healthy and harmlefs they may appear. 
If a dog lay on the pavement in the 
pafiengers’ way, it would be fafer to go 
round, than force him from his place. 
Many of the accidents arifing from 
the bite were caufed by ftrange dogs 
too familiarly approached, when in the 
firft ftage of the complaint, and when 
the animals fhewed no appearance to 
the common obferver of the malady. 
Tt will be the higheft temerity, let the 
occafion be what it may, to take the 
wfual liberties with the animal, if the 
leatt fulpicion be entertained. 
Dr. Hamilion, on Hydrophobia. 
of ruffled temper. 
[April 1, 
- In Auguft, 1795, a little fpaniel, fa- 
miliar with the children of a gentleman 
of this place, bit one of them ilightly, 
but fufficiently to draw blood; the pa- 
rents were alarmed, as mad dogs had 
been in the town afew wecks before, 
which caufed many of the inhabitants, 
through appreheniion, to kill their 
dogs. A furgeon was called to the 
child, and the cireumftances related. 
The animal lay by the fire, apparently 
in health, while he littened to the re- 
lation. ‘Through the heft motives, but 
miltaken means, in order to quiet their 
fear, and induce a belief that it was in 
perfect health, he took it up, as I was 
told, opened its mouth, tatroduced his 
hand, which he turned round in the fauces. 
This it tutlered without the leaft fign 
But the act was 
unguarded and rath, although he efcaped ; 
for it had bitten the fame morning a 
kitten feverely, fevering the head almof 
from its body. The indifference-which 
it fhewed at the intreduétion of his © 
hand, calmed the fears of the family 
for that night; and next day but early 
on the morning of the third, attacked 
with another fit, the furious animal laid 
hold of the lip of a puppy about five 
months old, fo firmly that the fervant, 
who ran to its affiftance, was obliged 
to draw them forcibly afunder. 
This threw the family into new con- 
fternation, and the child’s father im- 
mediately waited on me for my advice. 
Being by indifpofition confined to my 
room, I had not before heard of this 
moft ferious and alarming affair. fF 
urged him to chain the auimal witkout a 
moment’s delay. As the fit had fub- 
fided, the creature was éafily fecured, 
when in little more than a day after, 
with the moft ebvious marks of rabies, 
it died in confinement, as did the puppy 
in the fame manner in the fpace of three 
weeks. The reader will be happy to 
learn that prophylactic means, one of 
which was excifion of the bitten yart, 
were luccefsful preventives for the child. 
The inadvertency of the medical at+ 
tendant, im rifking his Yafety to allay 
a parent’s agony, 1s ne impeachment of 
his general knowledge, and is mentioned 
here as an_overfight merely, and an ufe- 
‘ful caution in future exigencies of the 
fame nature. The firft acceffion of ra- 
bies in the dog is very gradual, the in« 
tervals long, and exacerbations trifling, 
but daily fhortening and ftrengthening, 
they become at Haft numerous. Recol- 
—  Tection 
Nn i hey 
