Ralph Earl, Portrait of British General Gabriel Christie c. 1784
It’s hard for those of us living in modern-day towns and cities to imagine just how filthy and chaotic most streets were in the days before modern sanitation systems had been built. And added to the noise and filth and traffic, another menace plagued pedestrians: roving packs of dogs.
Back in the 18th century, rabies was a real threat. Louis Pasteur wouldn’t discover a vaccine until late in the nineteenth century. The dog menace probably prompted the fashion for otherwise able-bodied gentlemen to carry walking sticks and canes. Sticks and canes came in handy for whacking away lunging canines.