Narrative of the Life and Travels of Serjeant B——Butler, Robert
History
Narrative of the Life and Travels of Serjeant B——
Butler, Robert
Butler, Robert, 1784- -- Travel -- India; India -- Description and travel
In the course of the time we lay in Trichinopoly, we had one Serjeant
Clark affected with that dreadful disorder called hydrophobia, in
rather a singular manner. This man being afflicted for some time with
a very bad sore in his leg, and hearing that the tongue of a dog
licking a sore of this kind had a very healing effect, he had recourse
to this expedient, and coaxed a small dog in the barracks, which he
took notice of sometimes, to do him, as he thought, this good office;
but it would appear by the consequences that followed, that the dog
had been disordered before it left off this practice, and before the
serjeant was taken to hospital. It may seem strange to the reader,
that this dog licking a sore, should produce so alarming an effect;
but it was clearly proven, that the man himself had never been bitten;
and there was a consultation of the faculty held upon this
extraordinary case, who came to the conclusion, that the disease must
have proceeded from this cause. The doctors tried repeatedly, and by
various methods, to get him to swallow a little water, but all to no
purpose; one of them attempted to give some to him in a concealed
manner, putting it into what is called a hubble bubble, (a kind of
pipe with a long tube, so that he could not see it); but whenever it
came near him, he immediately took one of his shaking fits; and they
were compelled to take it away without success.
Another extraordinary case of this extraordinary disease occurred
while we lay in Masulipatam, which I shall just mention, and no more.
One of the Company's artillery men, in the warm season, was seized
with the disorder, but no person could tell how he came to be so
affected, as there was no appearance of any bite about his body. This
nonplussed the faculty completely, for they were sure enough that it
was the hydrophobia; but how it had been produced they could not tell.
Inquiry was made at his comrade, if he had known of his being bitten
at any former period; and he told them, that he recollected perfectly
of his being bitten about a twelve-month ago; so, after they had
deliberated for some time upon the accounts received, they came to the
conclusion, that it was to the effects of this bite, though at such a
distance of time, that he owed his death. Before I left the country, a
kind of cure, it is said, was discovered for this most dreadful
disorder. The cure seems quite natural; but as the way it was commonly
said to have been discovered is strange, I shall give a very short
account of it. One of the native women being bitten by a dog, and put
into a place of confinement, contrived to make her escape, but when
she was in the act of running away, some persons discovered her, and
pursued her as fast as possible, and the poor creature, in her fright
and trembling, fell all her length upon a place covered with broken
bottles, and was no doubt cut and mangled dreadfully; however, the
great quantity of blood that she lost was thought to have been the
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