Taming the Zoonosis in Tropic: Rise of Rabies (hondsdolheid) as an Endemic Disease and Its Containment in Colonial Indonesia, 1870s-1930s

Rabies, or canine madness, is one of the most frequent zoonotic diseases, mainly through the bite of a dog. The disease presumably had been in existence long before the coming of Europeans, as raising a dog and other rabid animals had been a strong tradition among indigenous people. Yet, it was only in the mid19th Century, with the establishment of colonial administration, that rabies began to be recorded, and then only at the end of the Century did the colonial government perceive it as a dangerous disease, especially in Java. This study seeks to investigate why rabies became a public health issue only later at the end of the 19th Century. What factors influenced the rise of this disease, how did local people perceive it, and what was the colonial government's response to this disease? This paper argues that rabies was an endemic disease before the colonial authorities acknowledged it and that it continued until the end of the colonial period, based on colonial publications and other pertinent sources, mainly newspapers. The limited records and belated development and introduction of medical science became contributing factors to the tardiness of government responses in resolving this endemic disease. Rabies remained a threatening public issue after Indonesia became independent.