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History or origins of rabies
The history of Rabies
The history of Rabies
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Louise Pasteur, a Frenchman who was neither a physician nor a veterinarian moved into the spotlight to help find a vaccine for Rabies. He began the study of Rabies when two rabid dogs were brought into his laboratory. One of the dogs suffered from the dumb form of the disease: his lower jaw hung down, he foamed at the mouth, and his eyes had a rather vacant look. The other dog was furious: he snapped, bit any object held out to him, and let out frightening howls (McCoy 65).
Through the studies already observed, rabies was transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal, and that the incubation period varied from a few days to several months. Beyond this, nothing definite was known. Then M. Bouley, a professor of veterinary science, noted a germ or organism in the saliva of a rabid dog. Pasteur confirmed Bouley’s findings by collecting some mucus from a child bitten by a rapid dog, and injecting it into rabbits. The results of this experiment ended with all the rabbits dying within 36 hours. This experiment established two facts: an organism was present in the saliva of rabid animals, and it could be transmitted to another animal or a human being through a bite (McCoy 66).
Further research led Pasteur to the conclusion that the rabies organism was located in other parts of the infected animal's body besides its saliva. Experiments on the skulls of rabid dogs shoed that the brain contained the rabies virus. Pasture then cultured some viruses from several rabid dogs' brains. The virus was then injected into rabbits. In every case the rabies would appear within 14 days (McCoy 67).
After several experiments, Pasteur went on to perfect a rabies vaccine. He first demonstrated to physicians and veterinarians that the rabies could be cultured from the brains of living dogs. Pasteur successfully proved that his antirabies vaccine could now be safely administered and animals could be vaccinated against the disease.
Once the vaccine was perfected, Pasteur turned the task of finding a vaccine for human patients. After considerable research and patients, Pasteur eventually developed a human vaccine against rabies. The vaccine would be given through a system of inculcations and would prevent the disease in a patient recently bitten by a rapid dog (McCoy 67).
This system became known as the Pasteur Treatment for rabies. Although there is still no cure for this disease in animals or humans, the disease can be prevented if the vaccines are given early enough.
Francisella tularensis is a bacteria that is commonly referred to as Rabbit Fever. This microorganism is often known as this because the bacteria resides in mammals such as rabbits, squirrels and mice (UPMC Center for Health Security, 2013). There are many different components to this bacteria that make it unique. The microorganism F. tularensis is one that has very unique characteristics that make it responsible for being the kind of bacteria that it is. It is a gram-negative bacteria that occurs in coccobacillus form. It is a non-motile bacteria that is commonly found in water, mud, and decaying animal carcasses. (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, 2013). Because of these characteristics, F. tularensis is able to live in these conditions for weeks (UPMC Center for Health Security, 2013). For all of these reasons, this microorganism can be potentially harmful to humans.
Mycoplasma haemofelis is the most prevalent erythroparasite in felines (Reagan, 30). This tiny blood parasite is the cause of feline hemotropic mycoplasmosis (FHM), previously known as feline infectious anemia (FIA) (“New: IDEXX…”). Formerly known as Haemobartonella felis or Eperythrozoon felis, these hemoplasma were considered rickettsial organisms until the late 1990’s following 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequence analysis which revealed a closer pylogenetical relationship to the genus Mycoplasma (“Mycoplasma Haemofelis,” Allison).
The questions that Pasteur asked had to with the passing of disease from one animal to another or from human to human. Scientists that opposed his work firmly believed that infectious disease was spontaneous, just like the fermentation of meat or dairy. He set out to prove them wrong.
Albert Sabin, the developer of the polio vaccine once said, “Without animal research, polio would still be claiming thousands of lives each year.” Polio is a deadly disease caused by a virus that spreads from person to person. This infectious disease renders the brain and spinal cord helpless while also ensuring a permanent case of paralysis to the victim. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “…13,000 to 20,000 para-lytic cases were reported annually,” before the 18th century. After the introduction of the polio vaccine, “…a total of 2,525 paralytic cases were reported, compared with 61 in 1965.” This dramatic decrease in the prominence of the polio disease can only be attributed to the success of animal testing. Animal experimentation is used in the research of genetics, drug testing, biology, toxicity testing, cosmetic testing, and many other fields. Despite all of its beneficial traits, animal testing has been wildly controversial over the past decades because of its perceived unethical treatment towards animals. Although animal testing may be deemed unethical by many, it is a form of medical testing that has not only saved lives but has also greatly revolutionized the medical world.
Louis Pasteur could easily be considered one of the greatest patrons of humankind his work in the discovery of vaccinations for rabies, anthrax, chicken cholera and silkworm diseases contributed greatly to society (Rhee, 2014). Pasteur’s accomplishments point to singular brilliance and determination of Pasteur's nature. His work aided in developing medicines in areas such as stereochemistry, microbiology, bacteriology, virology, immunology, and molecular biology. Furthermore, his work has safeguarded millions of people from disease through vaccination and pasteurization (Rhee, 2014).
Rabies is the oldest infectious disease that is spread between species. Historical evidence of rabies dates from about 2300 BC. The first written record of rabies is in the Eshnunna code (ca.1930 BC), which states that owners of rabid dogs with symptoms of rabies should take preventative measures to keep their dog away from others. If a person were to be bitten and later become ill or die, the owner would be fined heavily. During this time and for many centuries to follow, it was commonplace to kill any animal or human who showed symptoms of the disease. Today rabies incidents involving dogs in the United States are rare, but there are increasing numbers of outbreaks among the wild animal population, notably in the southern states.
Than, Ker. ""Zombie Virus" Possible via Rabies-Flu Hybrid?" National Geographic News. National Geographic, 27 Oct. 2010. Web. 30 Oct. 2013.
A “vaccine” or otherwise known as a vaccination, is something that stimulates someone’s immune system from a disease. Vaccines can prevent infections and actually cause it to not re-occur again. The invention of the Rabies, and Anthrax vaccines not only saved life’s, but helped scientist conduct and produce more accurate and successful research. Discovered by Louis Pasteur, in 1882, the innovation of the rabies vaccine was invented. Rabies is a critical and sometimes fatal infection that one could get with coming in contact with a “rabid” or wild animal. When this virus enters the body and spreads, it travels slowly through all the nerves and all the way to the brain. Once it reaches the brain, it becomes fatal. The number of deaths due to rabies worldwide each year is approximately 55,000. However, due to the invention of the rabies vaccine, the number of fatalities and illnesses decreased by a substantial amount.
Once the rabies disease shows symptoms on the victim it becomes impossible to cure because the disease has already spread through out the entire nervous system. Did Zora Neil Hurston accurately portray the rabies disease in the novel as to real life? Because in the novel Hurston did portray the symptoms accurately. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston gave Janie's husband, Tea Cake, great characteristics of having contracted the disease. Some of the characteristics that were shown in the novel were Tea Cake gagging when drinking liquids, bad headaches and the time period it took for the symptoms of rabies to finally show up.
The first discovery was made in 1952, in the developing field of virology. Virology is the study of viruses and how they behave. To develop the vaccines for the viruses, researchers infected the HeLa cells with many types of infections, such as measles, mumps, and the infamous poliomyelitis virus, also known as Polio. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), whose mission is to save lives and protect people’s health security, Polio is a "crippling and potentially deadly infectious disease caused by a virus that spreads from person to person invading the brain and spinal cord and causing paralysis" (Freeman). Jonas Salk, who was a virologist at the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (NFIP), used inactivated viruses (virus particles grown in culture and then killed by a form of heat) to create a polio vaccine. Salk drew blood from about two million children, which the NFIP checked for immunization.Through the collection of many HeLa cells and trial and error, the polio vaccine wa...
Louis Pasteur was a famous scientist throughout the 1800s. He is known for his advancements in vaccination, microbial fermentation, and pasteurization. He is also known for his breakthroughs concerning disease prevention. He had a wide range of discoveries and advancements, these can be traced by going through the main points in his lifetime which were: his early life, professional career, research contributions of the Germ Theory, contributions to immunology and vaccination, and the honors and wards he received for all of his achievements.
Rabies is a deadly virus that occurs in the brain. It can affect all mammals but the ones that are most commonly found with the virus are dogs, bats, raccoons, skunks, and coyotes. This means that any non-mammal can not contract the virus, such as fish, birds, and reptiles (2). The virus can be contracted by humans with saliva transfer with broken skin contact from an animal which has the disease. As this is the most common form of transferring the disease it is very believable that Tea Cake contracts the virus from the wild dog that “managed to bite [him] high up on his cheek bone once” (1). The rabies virus works by being a bullet shaped virus that directly attacks th...
A remarkable breakthrough in medicine occurred in the late 1800s through the work of Louis Pasteur. Pasteur's experiments showed that bacteria reproduce like other living things and travel from place to place. Using the results of his findings, he developed pasteurization, which is the process of heating liquids to kill bacteria and prevent fermentation. He also produced an anthrax vaccine as well as a way to weaken the rabies virus. After studying Pasteur's work, Joseph Lister developed antisepsis, which is the process of killing disease-causing germs.
Louis Pasteur was one of the most important scientists of our time. The foundation of our knowledge about health and disease comes from the discoveries of this one man. He made many discoveries and solutions for problems of the every day life that are still in effect today.