They were there for stray dogs. In the day that was the only way of controlling rabies in urban areas. There was not a universal vaccination program for doges and rabies was rampant. Pasteur's treatment was fairly new in the 1890s. For those of you who don't know the procedure they give an initial shot of rabies to give temporary protection while the number of shots of dead virus are given in the stomach to make the bitten person immune to the virus. That first shot was horse based until about 1980 and could kill a patient with horse allergies. After that it was a race between the building of immunity and the speed that the infection spread to the brain. If they waited too long to start the shots then it was all useless. If you waited for the first symptoms, it was too late. Pasteur published his results in 1885 so it was only becoming known around the world at the turn of the century and probably wasn't completely accepted and used until around WWI. That said, the Poundmaster was not an animal control official who actually caught stray animals. It was a political plum for friends of the powerful (usually your inept brother or your wife's half witted brother). EdrieAnne > >