[ London Times ]
This newspaper, most correctly known simply as The Times, began publication in 1785 and continues to this day.
The edition of August 28, 1835 carried the report of a coroner's inquest regarding the death of a young surgeon after he was bitten by his own Newfoundland:
Once the young surgeon was showing signs of illness, a doctor was summoned who found the young surgeon
. . . labouring under all the symptoms of hydrophobia. The unfortunate gentleman suffered from severe paroxysms, but the intervals was perfectly rational, and stated that he had been bitten about nine weeks before in the hand and arm by a Newfoundland dog. At the time the parts were cauterized, and he (deceased) caused to the dog to be shot two hours after he was bitten, but regretted he had not had the injured parts cut out at the time of the accident. He died on Monday morning, and witness is decidedly of opinon that his death was caused by the bite of a dog in a rabit state.
Another surgeon who examined the body is called, and confirms the rabies diagnosis of the doctor who had treated the bitten surgeon. He is followed by another witness, a friend of the deceased young surgeon, who confirms that
. . . nine weeks back the deceased was bitten by his favourite Newfoundland dog in the arm and hand. . . . The same animal had some short time before bitten a man named Barrett (who has since died of hydrophobia), and in consequence the dog was shot, and witness saw it buried at the end of his garden. . . . He (deceased) said that at the time he was bitten he was playing with the animal, and had not the most remote idea of the dog being in a rabid state.
Autopsy of the deceased surgeon had revealed evidence of rabies; post-mortem examination of the dog was inconclusive. The jury returned the verdicat "That the deceased died from hydrophobia, having been bitten by his own dog."