(Mandate of Frederick August Duke of Saxony Against the Running About of the Dogs and the Hydrophobia in General and What is to do against it. Along with the annexes “Cause of the Hydrophobia of the Dogs and the Symptoms of such Rabies” and “Instruction How one has to behave in Case of a Bite of Rabid Dogs and How one can take Precautions against the Sad After-Effects”). Published Dresden September 7, 1782. Ibid., Electoral Saxon Court-Printing, (1782). Fol. (34.8 x 21 cm). With two vignettes in woodcut. 12 ll. With the printed ducal signature along with the “L(oco) S(igilli)” mark and counter-signatures by George Wilhelm von Hopffgarten + the secretary Chr. Gottlieb Kretzschmar in the same way. Stitched.

File number “Nom: 13.” by old hand on title. – Especially the main part in beautiful, large typography. – Widemarged.

Extraordinarily  rich  decree  on  combat  +  cure  of  hydrophobia .

Beginning with the reduction of the dogs in general and directions to the landlords their impecunious tenants not to allow owning dogs unless they use them professionally. In cases of refusal to give up them the authority has to be informed. Dogs running about will be catched twice a year and slayed like the rabid if they are not collected by their owners within 24 hours. Peasants, coachmen, slaughters, and others have to chain up their dogs under the car if they must take along them coming to town. And in town and country generally no dog is permitted to run round, but to chain up, to hang with beetles or to lead by ropes. If a rabid dog known all others have to be locked in till the danger is over. But

“ (to avoid the eruption of a rabies at the dogs as far as possible and to take precautions the sad after-effects of a bite of rabid dogs all dogs

have  to  be  cut  the  so-called  mad-worm  without  exception ”

by persons appointed by the aldermen, “who are able to cut the mad-worm sufficiently skillfully and for each dog, he may be large or little, they should obtain two ten-pfennig pieces in the town and the half in the country.” And for the confirmation a ten-pfennig piece here and six pfennige there. And in pharmacies, but also at other places, has to keep the medicine prepared from may-worms sufficiently in stock.

But of quite outstanding interest the “detailed description” of the causes of the hydrophobia on two pages and, above all,

the  directions  for  the  therapy  of  a  bitten  man  on  8  pages

with all details in respect of cleansing the wound, hygiene, rest, diet – elder-flower-tea – and animated care.

This richness of details makes the mandate to a really good source. Next to the so-called mad-worm that’s elimination – so with a Prussian decree of 1797 – was diagnosed as worthlessly later. And quite especially in comparison with the following 16-page mandate of 1796 which attaches importance to the hygiene of animal + man generally as being absent still here.
Offer no. 13,081 / EUR  496. / Export price EUR  471. (c. US$ 760.) + shipping

(Mandate of Frederick August Duke of Saxony Regarding the Restriction of Dog-Ownership and the Precautions to arrange against the free running about of the dogs and for prevention of the danger to be afraid of rabid dogs. Along with the annexes “Causes of the Hydrophobia of the Dogs and the Symptoms of such Rabies” and “Instruction How one has to behave in Case of a Bite by Rabid Dogs and How one can take Precautions against the Sad After-Effects”.) Published Dresden April 2, 1796. Ibid., Electoral Saxon Court-Printing, (1796). Fol. (34.8 x 22 cm). With large initial vignette in woodcut and a second one. 16 ll. With the printed ducal signature along with the “L(oco) S(igilli)” mark and counter signatures by Friedrich Adolph von Burgsdorff + the secretary Friedrich Moßdorf. Stitched. Uncut.

File number “Nom. 23” by old hand on title. – Last four ll. with small worm-gallery in the wide white upper margin. Final leaf with two brownspots. – Especially the main part in beautiful, large typography. – Wide-margined.

Extraordinarily  rich  decree  on  combating  +  curing  of  hydrophobia

with direct reference to the previous mandate of September 7, 1782 (see item 13,081), “for the purpose was not achieved sufficiently … we have felt Ourselves … obliged … to issue another mandate and in that,

after  the  experiences  made  since  the  publishing  of  the  mandate  above ,

to collect all that what in respect of the subject has to be observed in future”.

Beginning with the reduction of the dogs generally, “because the danger for the public will be enlarged by keeping of useless and unnecessary dogs running about and at the same time a substantial part of the indispensable foodstuff is taken away from the people. Especially it is not the point to allow dog-ownership to the notorious poor who receive their living totally or partly by the local handout-office and in such way support their dogs at the public expense. But if the authority should permit it after all than to only one dog per family”.

Dogs running about without muzzle have to be catched at night generally, otherwise as required, but not under twice a year, and are redeemable for eight – in case of their capture by the night-watchman 16 – ten-pfennig pieces, irrespective of additional punishment. Peasants, coachmen, slaughters and others have to chain up their dogs under the car if they must take them along coming to town. And in town and country generally no dog is permitted to run round freely, but to be chained up, supplied with a so-called muzzle or lead by ropes. If a rabid dog is known all others have to be locked in till the danger is over.

As diagnosed as being worthless and therefore no longer mentioned the former liability to cut the so-called mad-worm. New in the decree, however,

–  and  that  is  the  introduction  of  the  precautionary  quarantine ! –

“ for averting the most sad after-effects to be afraid of rabid dogs … each dog-owner … has to observe minutely his one and to lock it in at once if he feels symptoms – as described in annex I – how vague ever they may be. But if the surmise will be true the dog has to be killed immediately. ”

And  thereupon  complete  hygiene  follows  on  the  quarantine :

“ A killed rabid dog … just as all other animals bitten or killed by a rabid dog has to be buried two yards under ground at least – so already per 1782 – and to be covered with lime. Also it is proceeded with caution that nothing is touched with one’s bare hands, but

with  gloves  or  by  help  of  wooden  poles

which instruments are thrown along into the pit … and not in a river or run flowing by. ”

“ All garments, beds, resting-place, and other tools a sick person bitten by a rabid dog and really befallen by the rabies has used, likewise the articles of clothing a rabid dog may have touched when it attacked a person also if it did not bite really the latter have to be burned up or buried in the same way and with the same caution as above. ”

Of outstanding interest furthermore the 3½-page “detailed description by Our Board of Health” on the causes of the hydrophobia enriched by new aspects and enlarged nearly double the size compared with the former one and here, freed of some absurdities, especially the

6½-page  instruction  to  treat  to  a  bitten  person

with all details to clean the wound, hygiene, rest, temperature, food – elder-bloom-tea – and animating care, but not without consultation of a physician or – at least – a qualified bather at the earliest. Compared to the edict of 1782 additionally also

But in such a way

a  medical  and  hygiene-historic  example  of  first  rank .

Offer no. 13,082 / EUR  496. / Export price EUR  471. (c. US$ 760.) + shipping

(Directions to the Inhabitants of the Towns and the Country regarding the restriction of dog-ownership and the prevention of the danger to be afraid of rabid dogs. Repeating the mandate of April 2, 1796, along with the accompanying annexes “Causes of the Hydrophobia of the Dogs and the Symptoms of such Rabies” and “Instruction How one has to behave in Case of a Bite of Rabid Dogs and How one can take Precaution against the Sad After-Effects”.) (Dresden) 1797. Sm.-4to (20.5 x 17 cm). 24 pp. Stitched.

File number “Nom: 24” by old hand on title. The latter browned, a little dirty and with a small inconspicuous worm-gallery quite minimally touching also the following leaf.

recapitulating the regulations of the mandate of April 2, 1796 – see no. 13,082 – which actualized that of September 7, 1782 – see no. 13,081 – in partially changed order

in  sentences  as  short  as  pregnant .

Beginning with the order “not to keep any useless and unnecessary dogs”. Especially not by the “poor who are supported by the local handout-office without special permission by the authority, and then not more than one dog in one family”.

Dogs running about without muzzle have to be catched at night generally, otherwise as required, but not under twice a year, and are redeemable for eight – in case of their capture by the night-watchman 16 – ten-pfennig pieces, irrespective of additional punishment. Peasants, coachmen, slaughters and others have to chain up their dogs under the car if they must take them along coming to town. And in town and country generally no dog is permitted to run round freely, but to be chained up, supplied with a so-called muzzle or lead by ropes. If a rabid dog is known all others have to be locked in till the danger is over.

As diagnosed as being worthless and therefore no longer mentioned here as in the mandate above the former liability to cut the so-called mad-worm. On the contrary now

–  and  that  is  the  introduction  of  the  precautionary  quarantine ! –

“ Anybody has to make himself acquainted (with the symptoms described in annex I), to observe his dogs constantly, and to lock them in at once if he feels symptoms how vague ever they may be, also if the surmise is confirmed to have them killed and burrowed immediately. ”

And  upon  the  quarantine  follows  the  complete  hygiene :

“ No killed rabid dog, or the animals bitten by it, may be handled with bare hands, nor, on penalty of 5 Taler, thrown into a river, creek, or other water, but has to be burrowed two yards under ground and to be covered with lime

with  all  by  which  one  has  touched  those  animals . ”

“ All garments, beds, resting-place, and other tools a sick person bitten by a rabid dog and really befallen by the rabies has used, likewise the articles of clothing a rabid dog has touched even if it did not bite the attacked person shall be burned up or burrowed 2 yards under ground with the precaution ordered in chapter 9. ”

Of outstanding interest furthermore the 5½-page detailed description on the causes of hydrophobia, compared with the decree of 1782 enriched by new aspects and nearly doubled in size, and here, freed of some absurdities, especially the

10-page  instruction  on  the  treatment  of  a  bitten  person

with all details to clean the wound, hygiene, rest, temperature, food – elder-bloom-tea – and animating care, but not without consultation of a physician or – at least – a qualified bather at the earliest. Compared to the edict of 1782 additionally also

But in such a way not just showing exemplary the transfer of chancellery’s law into everyday life, but

a  medical  and  hygiene-historic  example  of  first  rank .

And here additionally attractive as the

string-version  to  hang  out .

Offer no. 13,083 / EUR  345. / Export price EUR  328. (c. US$ 529.) + shipping

“ But  the  Success  not  corresponded  to  the  Result  hoped  for ”

Edict (by Frederick William, King of Prussia, Margrave of Brandenburg) Regarding the Becoming Rabid of the Dogs. Published Berlin February 20, 1797. (Berlin,) Georg Decker, (1797). Folio (34.5 x 24.5 cm). Title, 3 unnumbered ll. on 2 double leaves. With the printed royal signature along with the “L(oco) S(igilli)” mark and counter-signatures by von Blumenthal, Heinitz, Werder, Arnim, Struensee, and Schrötter. Uncut.

Watermarked Large Eagle. – With title vignette and large richly designed opening vignette with eagle (7 x 13.5 cm). – Apart from single pinheadsmall brown spots on the title impeccable.

taking up “the edict of February 20, 1767, and previous, too” and adjusting or regulating entirely new resp. combat and prophylactic measures – “that the so-called mad-worm below of the tongue shall be cut off the dogs”:

“ We thus decided to cancel above-mentioned edict concerning the cutting of the mad-worm of the dogs, as happens by this, and take other precautions by which man and live stock are protected against the bite of rabid dogs and the sad after-effects resulting from such a bite from Our subjects are averted ”.

Describing in six chapters the three grades of hydrophobia and regulating actions, punishments, and damages, also specialties for medical experiments by physicians, and the treatment of attacked persons:

“ The curing of the rabid dogs … is forbidden; except that a physician would like to experiment with this to broaden his knowledge … The moment a person is bitten by a rabid or even just suspicious dog … anyone who is first informed about this shall notify the district physician or surgeon who are already furnished with sufficient instructions in regard of the means of curing … likewise shall happen in view of the animals being the assets of man. ”

Offer no. 12,238 / EUR  322. / Export price EUR  306. (c. US$ 494.) + shipping

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(Señ. G. E., 19. December 2003)