agated only in the body of an animal. It is transmitted naturally from
one animal to another solely by bites, and the old idea of spontaneous
appearance of the disease is absolutely fallacious. It may be produced
artificially by inoculating susceptible animals with an emulsion of the
brain or spinal cord, as well as the saliva, milk, and other secretions of
the affected animal. The blood, on the contrary, seems to be free from the
infectious principle. The saliva contains the virus, which, under natural
conditions, is introduced into or under the skin on the tooth of the rabid
animal. The disease is widespread, being found in many countries of Europe,
Asia, and Africa, and in certain sections of the United States.

Owing to the rigid quarantine regulations enforced against dogs imported
into Australia, that country remains absolutely free from the disease.
Following the canine race, cattle seem to be the most frequently affected,
probably because rabid dogs, next to their morbid desire to attack other
members of their own race, have a better opportunity to bite grazing cattle
than any other species of animal. The relative frequency of rabies in these
two species of animals is indicated by the carefully compiled statistics of
the German Empire, which shows that 904 dogs and 223 cows died of rabies in
1898, while in 1899 there were 911 cases in dogs and 171 in cattle. The
latter receive bites most frequently on the hind legs and in the hips and
about the lower jaw. These places are most accessible to dogs, owing to the
habit of cattle to drive their tormentors away by lowering their heads and
using their horns. Every animal bitten does not necessarily develop the
disease, but the per cent of fatalities has been variously estimated, and
averages from 25 to 30. This, however, depends on the location and size of
the wound as well as the amount of hemorrhage produced, and various other
conditions. In general, the nearer the bite is located to the central
nervous system and the deeper the wound inflicted, the greater the danger
of a fatal result. In cases in which the hemorrhage resulting from the bite
is profuse, there is a possibility that the virus will be washed out of the
wound and thus obviate the danger of subsequent appearance of the disease.

The virus after being deposited in the wound remains latent for an
extremely variable period of time, which also depends on the size and depth
of the wound as well as its location