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HYDROPHOBIA HYDROSTATICS 129 difficult, lie no less endeavors to satisfy his thirst, sometimes by plunging his muzzle deep- ly under the surface of the water. No sin- gle error in regard to the disease is more un- fortunate than this; for when a dog drinks, the bystanders conclude that he is not hydro- phobic, and consequently overlook the other symptoms which might indicate the nature of the malady. The rabid dog does not at first refuse his natural food, but soon ceases to take it with his accustomed relish. An important sign, however, is an unnatural or depraved appetite. The animal gnaws and even swallows all kinds of indigestible sub- stances. Pieces of wood, bits of stone, furni- ture, clothing, the stuffing of cushions, leather, horse dung, and even his own excrements, are torn, gnawed, and swallowed. This is always a very suspicious circumstance. Some dogs are habitually mischievous in this respect, but even they only injure or destroy these sub- stances; they do not swallow them. And particularly the disposition in question, mani- festing itself in an animal to whom it is not habitual, and who is also evidently sick from some cause or other, should always put his owners upon their guard. Another symptom is now to be spoken of which is decisive and pathoguomonic, namely, the rabid bark. It is difficult to give an accurate idea of this sound by mere verbal description; but the best au- thorities all agree that, when once recognized, it is entirely conclusive. The natural voice of the animal is altered. Instead of the usual , succession of explosive sounds, equal in in- tensity and duration, it is hoarse, veiled, lower in tone, and begins with a single open bark, followed immediately by three or four dimin- ishing howls from the bottom of the throat, during which the jaws, instead of closing com- pletely at each bark, are only partly approxi- mated to each other. Prof. Bouley says that both he and his pupils have been able to recog- nize distinctly the rabid dog by his bark alone, when the animal was not yet in sight, and was still at the other extremity of the courtyard of the Alfort veterinary school. The saliva is at first increased in abundance ; but this symp- tom is of short duration, lasting, according to Youatt, not more than 12 hours, and is never so abundant as in the profuse salivation which attends an attack of epilepsy, a malady very common in dogs, but perfectly harmless. The true salivation of hydrophobia consists in a secretion of saliva which is scanty, but viscid and ropy, and which the animal endeavors to clear away from the mouth by the aid of his paws. This often gives the idea that he is an- noyed by a bone accidentally lodged in his teeth ; and fatal accidents have happened from attempting to aid the animal to get rid of the supposed annoyance. This preliminary period of the disease may last for one or two days. Now, however, comes the second and fully developed stage of the disorder, characterized by sudden paroxysms of fury, the true rabies or canine madness. A very characteristic and important fact is that an animal in this condi- tion is especially excited by the appearance of one of his own species. The sight of another dog drives him into an excess of sudden and immeasurable fury, followed by an immediate and aggressive attack. This often happens while he is still inoffensive toward other ani- mals, and particularly toward his master. But it is a sign that the full development of his dis- order is at hand, and in an hour or two after- ward he may snap at every bystander indis- criminately, in the blind insanity of his excite- ment. At this time, or even at an earlier pe- riod, he often disappears from home, probably with the instinct of finding some more solitary place in which to hide. But meeting constant- ly with new sources of irritation, and his ner- vous excitability increasing at the same time, he becomes more furious, haggard, and threat- ening with every hour. He is now at the height of the disease. Wandering along the streets or open highways, with head and tail drooping, his hide disordered and dusty, the ropy saliva hanging in strings from his open jaws, every man and animal that he encounters provokes him to a fresh attack. After 24 or 36 hours of this continuous excitement, with- out food or rest, and incessantly upon his feet, exhaustion begins to come on ; his motions are less vigorous, his steps grow vacillating and irregular, and he no longer leaves the direct path, and offers violence only to those whom he unavoidably meets. At last, if not pursued and killed, a general paralysis takes posses- sion of his system, and he dies exhausted by the intensity and continuance of the nervous agitation. The entire duration of the malady in the dog, from the first signs of disordered health until its fatal termination, is from two to six days. No distinct morbid change in any of the internal organs has ever been found after death, either in the dog or in man, which could be regarded as the pathological cause of this singular disease. Finally, the important symptoms of commencing hydrophobia in the dog, which should always be borne in mind, may be summed up as follows : 1, an unac- customed gloomy and suspicious disposition, with nervous agitation and restlessness; 2, momentary attacks of hallucination both as to sights and sounds ; 3, an unnatural and de- praved appetite for indigestible or innutritions substances ; 4, a peculiar and unnatural bark ; 5, a ropy and viscid condition of the saliva, with dryness of the mouth and fauces; and 6, an insane and aggressive irritability of temper, most easily excited by the sight of other dogs, and at first manifested only toward them. The best accounts of hydrophobia are to be found in the chapter on " Hydropho- bia" in Gross's "System of Surgery" (Phila- delphia, 1866); the chapter on "Rabies" in Youatt " On the Dog " (London, 1859) ; and Bouley, Rapport sur la rage (Paris, 1863). HYDROSTATICS. See HYDROMECHANICS.