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Rabies
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RABIES.
tttJli RABIES. IT is ~till to be regretted .that the meeting at the ManSion House culminated in merely mresolutions expressive of the indebtedness of humanity to the reSearChes of M. Pasteur and the estabIishment of a fund for the purpose of conveying persons bitten by mad dogs to the Pasteur Institute. The original intention of the Lord Mayor probably was to establish a similar institution in this country, but We presume that the dread of opposition induced the action finally resolved upon. It is well that the exact +attitude the council 0 f the Medical Officers of Health Society assumed to the movem e n t should b e known, and, therefore, we print the following letter.of the President : THE P R E V E N T I O N OF HYDROPHOBIA. M~" LORD MAYOR,--On behalf of the Society of Medical Officers of Health, I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of an invitation to the meeting summoned by your LordShip for July xst, at t h e Mansior~ House, to consider " the Prevention of Hydrophobia," Ahhough unable to attend the meeting, I am desired to express the cordial feelings of gra,titude that the Society entertain towards M. Pasteur and hls staff for the generous treatment afforded by them to our fellow-countrymen in the past ; and atso t o state that the Society would cordially support a "Bill ~or t h e simultaneous muzzling of all dogs throughout the British Islands, together with the establishment of quarantine for a reasonable period of all dogs
imported," as the most effectual means of reducing to a minimum the number of rabid animals. At the same time, .I am to expt~.s the Society's regret that, for the treatment of persons bitten by rabid animals in the future, the movement headed by your Lordship contemplates raising a fund for the purpose of defrayingthe expense of transferring sufferersto PariS, rather than for the establishment of an Anti.rabic Institution in the Metropolis, The latter suggestion, which we understand, originally emanated from your Lordship, is looked upon with great favour by M. Pasteur himselfin his answer (dated 3Ist May, 1889) to your Lordship's letter, in which commtmication England and Belgium are represented as the only two civilized countries that have not yet established similar institutions. I am farther desired to suggest that at very small expense an Anti-rabic Laboratory might be grafted on to some existing institution, such as the Brown Institute, where the advantages of anti-rablc inoculation could be demonstrated in the Metropolis, and to state that such a scheme would be cordially supported by the Society I represent. I have the honour to be, my Lord Mayor, Your obedient servant, W. H. CORFIELD, M.A., M.D. (Camb.), F.R.C.P.Lond., Presiden# ~f tI~e.Soci¢t~of Medical Officers of ZYeall]~. 19, Savile+Row, W., 29tl~.]'une, I889. In+a graceful letter to the Lord Mayor acknowledging the receipt of the resolutions, M. Pasteur thus expresses h i m s e l f : " T h e manifestation of the xst ~uly had not only for its object the question of the treatment and possible extinction of hydrophobia in England, but in the nature of things it was also a protest against that false sentimentality which led certain persons, not merely to put on the same footing the life of men and that of animals, but even to prefer the exist-
ence of animals to the salvation of human life, When this ~iew is taken, what is thelinfit? We must become firm vegetarians, We ;mUst even extend our scruples so that no living being is sa~iriced: We must endure the importunities of a mosquito, the daring of a m0use~ the ktin~, o f a flea--false ideas,orexcuses for a tirade whxch one finds is most often at the bottom o f all the attacks on experimental physiology. Certain credulous souls--by I know not What tales--imagine that our laboratories are chambers of torture. They ignore the fact that the rabbit or thergUinea-pig is rendered insensible by chloroform before it is subjected to the most insignificant operation. As f0r me personally the suffering of an animal affects me so much that I would never shoot a bird, and the cry of a wounded skylark pierces me to the heart; but if the investigation Of the mysteries Of Nature ~md the acquisition o f new truths bc aLstake, the sovereignty of the object justifies all. Who, then, having the least regard f o r the pursuit of t h e knowledge of the mysteries Of Nature, would put in the b a l a n c e the sacrifice of a few fowls and rabbits with the discovery o f the attenuation of virus and prophylactics, which have resulted from such sacrifice. No one, my Lord Mayor, will have contributed more than you have done to rectify the errors which under a show of compassion can only hinder the progress of science and compromise even the more legitimate interests of humanity." A recer.t order in the Gazette has been issued with regard to the muzzling of dogs in the City and Metropolitan Police districts. The order is to take effect from the 3xst July, and to remain in force till the end of the year. Local authorities are to cause all dogs affected with or suspected of rabies, or having been bitten by a dog affected with or suspected of rabies, to be forthwith slaughtered. No dog is to be allowed to be in or on any public place unless it is mu~zledso as to render it impossible for the dog to bite, though not so as to prevent it from breathing freely or lapping water. ix/cal authorities are to cause all stray dogs, and all dogs not muzzled in accordance with the order, to be seized and dealt with accordingly. I f affected with, or suspected of rabies, they are to be slaughtered. I f not affected, or suspected of, they are to be detained in some proper place, and kept for such period as may be t h o u g h t expedient, provided that if the owner, or persons having charge of the animals are known, they shall be given up to him on payment of reasonable expenses for food and water supplied. Allowing dogs to go unmuzzled will be an offence against the Act of i878. Such local orders are apt to excite opposition, for of necessity to be of use, they must extend over a long period of time and require frequent renewal, whereas a short two months' order rigidly enforced throughout the whole kingdom would practically stamp out the malady for a number of years.
RABIES.
tttJli RABIES. IT is ~till to be regretted .that the meeting at the ManSion House culminated in merely mresolutions expressive of the indebtedness of humanity to the reSearChes of M. Pasteur and the estabIishment of a fund for the purpose of conveying persons bitten by mad dogs to the Pasteur Institute. The original intention of the Lord Mayor probably was to establish a similar institution in this country, but We presume that the dread of opposition induced the action finally resolved upon. It is well that the exact +attitude the council 0 f the Medical Officers of Health Society assumed to the movem e n t should b e known, and, therefore, we print the following letter.of the President : THE P R E V E N T I O N OF HYDROPHOBIA. M~" LORD MAYOR,--On behalf of the Society of Medical Officers of Health, I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of an invitation to the meeting summoned by your LordShip for July xst, at t h e Mansior~ House, to consider " the Prevention of Hydrophobia," Ahhough unable to attend the meeting, I am desired to express the cordial feelings of gra,titude that the Society entertain towards M. Pasteur and hls staff for the generous treatment afforded by them to our fellow-countrymen in the past ; and atso t o state that the Society would cordially support a "Bill ~or t h e simultaneous muzzling of all dogs throughout the British Islands, together with the establishment of quarantine for a reasonable period of all dogs
imported," as the most effectual means of reducing to a minimum the number of rabid animals. At the same time, .I am to expt~.s the Society's regret that, for the treatment of persons bitten by rabid animals in the future, the movement headed by your Lordship contemplates raising a fund for the purpose of defrayingthe expense of transferring sufferersto PariS, rather than for the establishment of an Anti.rabic Institution in the Metropolis, The latter suggestion, which we understand, originally emanated from your Lordship, is looked upon with great favour by M. Pasteur himselfin his answer (dated 3Ist May, 1889) to your Lordship's letter, in which commtmication England and Belgium are represented as the only two civilized countries that have not yet established similar institutions. I am farther desired to suggest that at very small expense an Anti-rabic Laboratory might be grafted on to some existing institution, such as the Brown Institute, where the advantages of anti-rablc inoculation could be demonstrated in the Metropolis, and to state that such a scheme would be cordially supported by the Society I represent. I have the honour to be, my Lord Mayor, Your obedient servant, W. H. CORFIELD, M.A., M.D. (Camb.), F.R.C.P.Lond., Presiden# ~f tI~e.Soci¢t~of Medical Officers of ZYeall]~. 19, Savile+Row, W., 29tl~.]'une, I889. In+a graceful letter to the Lord Mayor acknowledging the receipt of the resolutions, M. Pasteur thus expresses h i m s e l f : " T h e manifestation of the xst ~uly had not only for its object the question of the treatment and possible extinction of hydrophobia in England, but in the nature of things it was also a protest against that false sentimentality which led certain persons, not merely to put on the same footing the life of men and that of animals, but even to prefer the exist-
ence of animals to the salvation of human life, When this ~iew is taken, what is thelinfit? We must become firm vegetarians, We ;mUst even extend our scruples so that no living being is sa~iriced: We must endure the importunities of a mosquito, the daring of a m0use~ the ktin~, o f a flea--false ideas,orexcuses for a tirade whxch one finds is most often at the bottom o f all the attacks on experimental physiology. Certain credulous souls--by I know not What tales--imagine that our laboratories are chambers of torture. They ignore the fact that the rabbit or thergUinea-pig is rendered insensible by chloroform before it is subjected to the most insignificant operation. As f0r me personally the suffering of an animal affects me so much that I would never shoot a bird, and the cry of a wounded skylark pierces me to the heart; but if the investigation Of the mysteries Of Nature ~md the acquisition o f new truths bc aLstake, the sovereignty of the object justifies all. Who, then, having the least regard f o r the pursuit of t h e knowledge of the mysteries Of Nature, would put in the b a l a n c e the sacrifice of a few fowls and rabbits with the discovery o f the attenuation of virus and prophylactics, which have resulted from such sacrifice. No one, my Lord Mayor, will have contributed more than you have done to rectify the errors which under a show of compassion can only hinder the progress of science and compromise even the more legitimate interests of humanity." A recer.t order in the Gazette has been issued with regard to the muzzling of dogs in the City and Metropolitan Police districts. The order is to take effect from the 3xst July, and to remain in force till the end of the year. Local authorities are to cause all dogs affected with or suspected of rabies, or having been bitten by a dog affected with or suspected of rabies, to be forthwith slaughtered. No dog is to be allowed to be in or on any public place unless it is mu~zledso as to render it impossible for the dog to bite, though not so as to prevent it from breathing freely or lapping water. ix/cal authorities are to cause all stray dogs, and all dogs not muzzled in accordance with the order, to be seized and dealt with accordingly. I f affected with, or suspected of rabies, they are to be slaughtered. I f not affected, or suspected of, they are to be detained in some proper place, and kept for such period as may be t h o u g h t expedient, provided that if the owner, or persons having charge of the animals are known, they shall be given up to him on payment of reasonable expenses for food and water supplied. Allowing dogs to go unmuzzled will be an offence against the Act of i878. Such local orders are apt to excite opposition, for of necessity to be of use, they must extend over a long period of time and require frequent renewal, whereas a short two months' order rigidly enforced throughout the whole kingdom would practically stamp out the malady for a number of years.