Our grandfather's patient

The casebook of our grandfather, Dr Russell Steele of Reigate, has a graphic account of rabies in a young boy.

“On July 4th 1876, shortly after 7 o'clock in the morning, the patient, a little boy called Alfred Cox (aged 91/2 years), the son of the stationmaster at Bletchworth, was playing with a strange dog which had bites about its muzzle, and was bitten several times by it on the right hand and leg. He was brought to me soon afterwards, when I cauterised the wounds freely with linear caustic. He came to see me twice afterwards to have the wounds dressed with water dressing, after which they healed up. Six weeks and three days from …