Rabies and Dog’s Liver Cure April 11, 2014
Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern , trackback
Rabies vanished from Britain in the very early twentieth century and bar some unlucky exceptions has not returned since: just 22 have died since 1902. But in the nineteenth century it was a serious menace and people, particularly children died on a fairly regular basis. Here is a rabies account from the 1860s and deep England and a traditional rabies treatment.
A few days since at an inquest held at Bradwell, Bucks, on the body of Elizabeth Walters, aged five years, and who died from hydrophobia, evidence was given of a practice almost incredible in a civilized country in the nineteenth century.
What was the outrage about?
A witness stated: ‘I am wife of Thomas Mackness, a farm labourer. I saw deceased after she was bitten, which was about nine weeks back, and was requested by the father of the child to give her some of the liver of the dog, which had then been killed and buried. I accordingly went o the house, it was either the day after the child was bitten or the next day. The mother cut off a piece of the liver, weighing about an ounce or an ounce and a half. I frizzled it before the fire, on a fork, for some minutes, till it was well cooked and dried up, and then gave it to the child, with some bread. She ate it freely, about two mouthfuls, and had some warm tea after it.’ The grand-father and parents of the child were anxious for the liver to be given, thinking it would prevent the bite of the mad dog taking effect, as formerly an uncle of the child had escaped hydrophobia, after having been bitten, and having taken some of the liver of the dog which bit him. In that case, it is stated, the carcase of the dog had been in the water nine days before the liver was taken out.
A bit of sympathetic magic then. The dog hurt you, you hurt the dog and eat the liver, traditionally seen as the seat of force. Having said that if you ate a liver of a rabid dog that had been in the water for nine days you might conceivably make matters worse… Any other magic rabies cures: drbeachcombing At yahoo DOT com. An illness that was so easy to contract and yet impossible to counteract should have been good magic territory. Beach has some vague memories of Irish cures from the nineteenth century.
29 May 2014: Janet writes in with this from Dail Gazette 30 May 1889. ‘A strange case of superstition has just occurred at West Hartlepool. A person who was bitten by a dog that was perfectly healthy applied to the owner of the animal, a well-known tradesman, for a tuft of hair from the dog’s coatto apply to tho wound. The request was at first I demurred to, but as the individual could not otherwise be pacified, a piece of hair was ultimately cut from the animal, and handed to the applicant, who immediately applied it to the wound and departed, apparently perfectly satisfied as to the efficacy of the remedy.’ Thanks Janet!
