The Victorian War on Rabies

https://www.historytoday.com/archive/feature/mad-dogs-and-englishmen-winning-war-rabies

by benbreen • 16 days ago

25 21 16 days ago

datakan5• 11 days ago

Strange article. So much focus on dogs with only one mention of bats who are the primary carrier and spreader of rabies.

Hikikomori• 11 days ago

The first recorded rabies from a bat was in 2002 so not that surprising that it wasn't a focus on victorian England.

datakan5• 11 days ago

The Vampire Bat Link (1911): The very first connection between bats and rabies was made by scientist Antonio Carini in Brazil. He discovered the virus in cattle that had died from a paralyzing sickness after being bitten by vampire bats.

The First Confirmed Bat (1921): Researchers Haupt and Rehaag officially confirmed rabies in a bat captured by a farmer. The farmer witnessed the bat biting a calf.

The United States Discovery (1953): Rabies virus infection in insect-eating (insectivorous) bats was first recognized in the United States in 1953.

You make a good point but your year is off. For the purposes of the article though it should have been more evident. Other animals tend to get it from bats because bats are the primary carriers. They didn't understand that back then but we do now and it's worth talking about.

nephihaha4• 11 days ago

Dogs were seen as the main vector right into the 1980s. Rightly so. A dog is more likely to attack you than a bat.

datakan5• 11 days ago

But dogs typically get it from the bat. I don't understand the logic

cryzinger• 11 days ago

Dogs were the #1 way for humans to catch rabies for most of human history, which I didn't realize until I read Rabid: A Cultural History of the World's Most Diabolical Virus.

IAmBroom• 9 days ago

They likewise didn't focus on virus theory, which was also unknown to Victorians.

It's as if the article focused on the Victorian war on rabies.

retrac• 11 days ago

We're in a prolonged guerilla conflict in Canada. We are winning but the end is not in sight yet.

In Ontario every year the Ministry of Forestry distributes several million doses of rabies vaccine for wildlife. The goal is to immunize the majority of skunks, foxes, raccoons and the like, particularly in populated areas.

They air drop edible pellets with the live rabies vaccine; they are labeled "do not touch do not eat" because it can vaccinate most susceptible mammals, including humans.

never_inline• 11 days ago

Maybe I am stupid to have to ask this, but what's the problem if a human gets vaccinated by accident?

datakan5• 11 days ago

The pellets can cause localized infections or rashes to humans. More dangerous to certain groups like small children, pregnant women and people with immune system issues.

pfdietz• 11 days ago

The live adenovirus (engineered to express a rabies protein) is not entirely safe. It won't give you rabies, but it does infect you. For wild animals, it's ok if some small fraction die from it.

They should spread some of these around my town in central NY; we've had rabid animals recently (cat and fox).

The Victorian War on Rabies

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