Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 71, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 March 1912 — Begin Rabies Campaign [ARTICLE]

Begin Rabies Campaign

First Outbreak Reported at Boston In 1768—One Hundred and Eleven Deaths Caused by This Weird - Disease in 1908. New York.—Among the many beneficial activities of the United States public health and marine hospital service, a campaign against rabies, undertaken to 1908 and extended since that time, is just now of particular interest. The boards of health of the different states have been urged to make this a "reportable" disease —that is, one of which all cases shall be re-TTa»4-fl 1V m A Xo H/lAA tgS coraea. until mat snail uone m all states the full extent of this distressing and weird disease cannot be determined.. There is an increasing demand upon the public health service for. anti-rabies serum. That rabies has been prevalent in the United States for more than a century Is shown by the medical literature of the nation. The first outbreak was reported in Boston in 1768. The legislative council of the American Medical association to 1907 recommended that rabies be investigated by the public health service with a view to its prevention and control. In 1908 there were 111 deaths of human beings from rabies, and 534 cases among animals were reported during this time. The disease in both man and animals was practically confined to the territory east of the Missouri river. .It was found to be almost entirely absent from the western states, but during the last 18 months it has made its appearance on the Pacific

coast, transmitted, presumably, by an! mala from the eastern part of the country. Dogs, cats, wolves, horses, sheep, cattle, hogs, squirrels and skunks can transmit the disease. Apparently the disease is increasing, but this may possibly be due in part to the greater pains taken in the collection of the mortality records. The census bureau statistics show 33 deaths in 1900, 41 in 1901, 4S in 1902, 43 in 1903, 38 in 1904, 44 in 1905, 85 in 1900, 75 in 1907 and 111 in 1908. During 1908 nearly 1,500 persona were given the Pasteur treatment on account of having been bitten by : rabid or supposedly rabid animals, r The inquiry by the public ' health service shows conclusively that the only effective way to suppress rabies in man is .to eradicate* the disease among animals. This calls for the destruction of infected animals and the muzzling of all dogs in infected areas.