The impact of rabies and its treatment until the 19th Century: a lesson from the past

Mentions of rabies are found in the early literature as far back as the 4th century BC. In the words of Aristotle, "Dogs suffer from madness that puts them in a state of fury, and all animals which they bite when in this condition, become also attacked by madness". This work is focused on the treatments used until the 19th century analysing treatises that detail ancient treatments as well as more modern ones, but still based on the same ancient concepts. Current research and development are much more costly than in the past and therefore strategies for reducing the risk are sought. High-risk strategies, which explore new activity relationships, are less prevalent in the literature, reflecting a growing focus on established knowledge. We believe there is still room for investigation which start from the re-investigation of ancient recipes in the light of the latest technologies and equipment.