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OF THE BITES OF POISONOUS ANIMALS.
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without some boasted specific, which has been held forth as an infallibleremedy for the prevention and cure of the canine phrensy, till fatal ex-perience demonstrated their inefficacy. To a reliance on the Ormskirkmedicine, as it is called, many persons have doubtless fallen victims ;for what can be effected as a preservative from this formidable diseaseby a compound like the following? for such after analysing the " Orms-kirk medicine," Dr. Lewis and Heysham inform us it consists of, viz.half an ounce of chalk, three drachms of armeuiau bole, ten grains ofalum, one drachm of alacampane in powder, mix them all together, andadded six drops of oil of anise." The efficacy of the medicine, if indeedit ever did prove efficacious, must depend on some unknown, undetectedingredients.
This poison is generally communicated by a wound, which neverthe-less mostly heals as soon as a common wound: but afterwards it beginsto feel painful, and, as the pain spreads towards the neighbouring parts,the person becomes heavy and listless. His sleep generally becomes un-quiet ; he sighs, looks dull, prefers solitude, and is troubled with nausea.These are the forerunners, or rather the first symptoms of that dreadfuldisease occasioned by the bite of a mad dog. But as we do not proposeto treat fully of the disease itself, but to point out the method of pre-venting it, we shall not take up time in shewing its progress from thefirst invasion to its commonly fatal termination.
The common notion, that this poison may lie in the body for manyyears, and afterwards prove fatal, is both hurtful and ridiculous. It mustrender such persons as have had the misfortune to be bit very unhappy,and can have no good effects. If the person takes proper medicines forforty days after the time of his being bit, and feels no symptoms of thedisease, there is reason to believe him out of danger.
Sometimes the characteristic symptoms of this virulent disorder, thedread of water, suddenly attacks the patient, and every attempt to swal-low liquids is accompanied with the most convulsive and painful sensa-tions. This appears to be a circumstance peculiar to the human race;for mad animals do not, as some have supposed, evince the least dreadof water. There is not the least doubt that the disease is occasioned bythe saliva of the mad creature being mixed with the human blood. Un-less, therefore, part of the true skin be injured by the bite of a rabidanimal, the poison will not be communicated; but, in the contrary case,the smallest quantity is sufficient to produce the fatal effect. Hence ifthe cuticle has been wounded, it is absolutely necessary to remove thesurrounding muscular substance by the knife, and to lose no time in sub-mitting to this operation, as it is the only certain and effectual preven-tive. It is, however, of consequence, previously to be convinced whetherthe animal has been actually mad ; though it is affirmed by creditablewriters, that the bite of creatures that were neither diseased nor raving,nay even the bite of healthy dogs, has been productive of hydrophobia.
As it is generally allowed that canine madness, if the dread of waterhas once taken place, can seldom be cured, the most essential part of thetreatment consists in the speedy application of preventives: for this rea-son, we have already stated the immediate necessity of cutting away thepart contiguous to the wound, especially where that operation can be per-