Rabies Series 1: The Past and Present of Rabies

Rabies (Lyssa), named after the ancient Greek god of rage because it can turn animals into raging beasts and humans into water-phobic zombies, is one of the most deadly infectious diseases known to date.

Humans have known about rabies for at least 4,000 years, but the first rabies vaccine for humans was not developed until the end of the 19th century. So how did people fight rabies before that? Let's review the past and present of rabies:

The earliest record of rabies in ancient Chinese books is found in "Zuo Zhuan", which records "In the seventeenth year of Lu Xianggong, on the eleventh month, on the Jiawu day, the people of the country chased away mad dogs." In the seventeenth year of Lu Xianggong, that is, in 556 BC, rabies already existed in my country 2,500 years ago, and people at that time recognized that mad dogs were extremely harmful to humans, and took measures to expel them.

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According to historical records, the ancients also tried to adopt certain treatment methods for rabies, which were mostly based on the simple idea of ​​using poison to fight poison. Ge Hong of the Eastern Jin Dynasty mentioned the incubation period of rabies in his "Emergency Prescriptions for the Elbow", and explained that the wound should be treated in time after being bitten by a mad dog, and the brain of the biting dog should be applied to the wound. The prescription also mentioned the use of feces toads to prevent rabies. This method is of course not feasible. For example, rabies attacks the nervous system, and applying brains filled with rabies virus to the wound is definitely not a wise approach.

The earliest record of rabies in the world can be found in the Mesopotamian code before 1930 BC. The first person to study rabies was Celsus, a famous doctor in ancient Rome 2,000 years ago. He was the first to realize that the causative agent of rabies was transmitted through the saliva of mad dogs, and tried a series of treatment methods, such as treating wounds with corrosive agents, cupping, burning and sucking.

Several miraculous treatments were also discovered in religious sites in Europe, such as cutting open the forehead of the bitten person, implanting a special thread, and using a red-hot iron rod to burn the wound. However, such cruel practices failed to effectively treat rabies, but often accelerated the patient's death.

The famous ancient Greek doctor Galen also tried to use amputation to treat rabies. Since rabies is an extremely deadly disease, in the absence of effective treatment nearly two thousand years ago, amputation was still a wise choice in exchange for priceless life at a high price.

Systematic scientific research on rabies began in the 19th century. In 1804, German scientist Zinke was the first to infect rabbits and chickens with the saliva of mad dogs. In 1813 and 1814, German and French doctors successfully infected dogs with human saliva, proving that rabies has similar transmission routes in humans and animals.

After a long period of research, people still did not have a correct understanding of rabies, including how to diagnose, treat and control it, until the emergence of a scientific giant who completely reversed the passive situation of human beings in the fight against rabies. He was the leader of the French scientific community - Pasteur.

To learn how this legendary doctor broke through research barriers and defeated rabies step by step, please read the second part of the rabies series - Pasteur and rabies vaccine.

The article is produced by Science Popularization China-Starry Sky Project (Creation and Cultivation). Please indicate the source when reprinting.

Author: Science scraps popular science team

Reviewer: Wang Chuanlin, Director of Emergency Department, Peking University People's Hospital