A study of rabies from the standpoint of etiology and diagnosis

Rabies or hydrophobia is one of the oldest diseases known to mankind, the history of the malady dating back to the days of Aristotle. The contagious nature of the disease was recognized even in those days, the affection in man being readily associated with the bite of rabid dogs. It was common belief, however, that rabies developed spontaneously in animals as a result of warm weather, heavy meat diet, lack of drinking water, unsatisfied sexual desire, etc. Even today this old belief, passed along from generation to generation, is still held by a percentage of the laity. In the work recorded in this paper the writer had two objects in mind. The first purpose was to study the etiology of rabies, especially with a view to throwing more light on the nature of Negri bodies. Such study involved. an attempt to cultivate the organism. The second purpose was to determine whether or not the complement fixation phenomenon could be utilized as a means of diagnosing hydrophobia in those cases where the microscopic examination could not be reliably made. The results of these studies follow.