NationalLibraryOfScotland/medical-history-of-british-india huggingface dataset:
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Assistant Surgeons to two of the institutions which required
additional hands to meet heavy work, the opening of two
new dispensaries in the last quarter of the year and the
stationing of three more men in different places of the
circle as leave reserve, The post of a compounder was
newly sanctioned for the Veterinary Dispensary, Kumba-
kōnam. There were no casualties among the staff in the
year.
III.—HOSPITALS AND DISPENSARIES.
8. At the beginning of the year there were 20 institu
tions and during the year two more were opened at Karur
and Conjeeveram making a total of 22 at the close of the
year.
9. The working of the veterinary institutions, in
general, was good, the number of cases treated and castra
tions performed during the year being 28,908 against 26,467
last year and medicines were supplied for 836 cases not
brought to institutions, 905 having been treated in this way
during the previous year. From the above recorded statis
tics, it may safely be claimed that the department is gaining
popularity and its help is more and more sought after by the
general public.
10. Next, I wish to dwell upon the particular working of
some of the institutions and report with pleasure that as
many as 14 institutions (Saidapet, Kallakurchi, Negapatam,
Trichinopoly, Kumbakōnam, Tanjore, Madura, Tuticorin,
Sivaganga, Veerakeralampudur, Chingleput, Cuddalore,
Kodaikānal and Dindigul) showed a marked increase in the
amount of work done during the year and six institutions
which, owing to economic depression, floods and absence of
contagious disease, maintained more or less the same amount
of work as that of last year. The number of cases remand
ed by the magistracy to the institutions at Trichinopoly,
Madura, Kodaikanal, Virudhunagar, Srīvilliputtūr, Tuticorin
and Tinnevelly which are declared infirmaries under the
S.P.C.A. Act was poor. No cases were remanded to the
institutions at Tuticorin and Tinnevelly. In the case of
Trichinopoly, Kodaikanal and Srīvilliputtūr however there
was some improvement over last year's figures.
11. The unladen sick animals which attended the Veteri
nary institutions for treatment were not taxed by the toll-
agents of the municipalities and district boards in this
circle during the year.
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12. There were additions to Veterinary buildings in
several institutions during the year, as detailed below:—
(a) A thatched shed for housing in-patients was put up
in the dispensary compound, Kallakurchi.
(b) An irrigation platform to the well in the Veterinary
Hospital, Cuddalore, was erected.
(c) At Sivaganga a new waiting shed which was under
construction at the close of the previous year was com
pleted.
(d) A manger in the cattle ward of the Veterinary
Dispensary, Virudunagar, was newly put up.
(e) A temporary operation-shed and a temporary in
patients' shed in the Veterinary Dispensary, Tuticorin, were
constructed.
13. Veterinary Dispensary, Rämnād, was moved to
another suitable building, the rent of which is less than that
of the building in which the dispensary was previously
located.
14. It may be mentioned here that the total income by
way of admission fees, medicine charges and other receipts
realized during the year was Rs. 2,256-7-8 against
Rs. 1,970-1-4 of last year. The increase in the receipts was
mainly due to large sales of manure, produce of the fruit-
bearing trees and unserviceable articles.
IV.—TOURING STAFF.
15. The strength of the itinerating staff was the same as
last year—19 men in all. Unfortunately unlike the previous
year the year under report was one of ill-health to cattle as
there were widespread epidemics in major portion of the
Circle. The number of reports received was 689 against
495 last year.
16. On a reference to the figures below, it will be seen
that a greater amount of work was done in general and a
high percentage of the reports was promptly complied with,
the number of reports attended to being 536. Preventive
inoculation against rinderpest, hæmorrhagic septicaemia,
anthrax and black-quarter was undertaken in 200 outbreaks
of the 689 reported of which 536 were attended by the staff.
26,801 animals were protected with sera against 13,751 of
last year. The large increase in the number of inoculations
which is nearly twice that of the previous year was due to
the large number of villages being attacked with the diseases
6
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and efficient work was turned out by some of the touring
men.
17. The members of the staff visited 3,931 villages and
in the course of their tours they treated 1,563 animals for
contagious diseases and 9,730 for non-contagious cases and
performed 2,018 castrations. In the previous year 3,497
villages were visited, 2,306 cases for contagious diseases and
9,526 for non-contagious diseases were treated and 2,980
castrations were performed. There is a reduction in the num
ber of cases treated for contagious diseases and castrations
performed, the fall in the former is attributed to the absence
in several parts of the districts of foot-and-mouth disease
which was responsible for a large number of contagious
cases treated in the previous years and in the latter is attri
buted to various causes such as unexpected floods, prevalence
of cholera, famine and absence of some Touring Veterinary
Assistant Surgeons from their permanent stations on special
duty.
V.—TREATMENT OF CONTAGIOUS DISEASES.
18. Unfortunately Rinderpest which was existing here
and there in Rāmnād, Madura and Tanjore districts at the
close of the previous year began to spread later on in the
districts until practically larger areas of Māyavaram, Nega-
patam and Nannilam taluks of Tanjore district, Madura,
Nilakkōttai, Tirumangalam and Mēlūr taluks of Madura
district and Srīvilliputtūr, Sāttūr and Sivaganga taluks of
Rāmnād district were affected.
19. The source of infection was traced to Sivagiri hills
wherefrom animals from grazing areas have carried the
disease to Srīvilliputtūr taluk and thence to other places
through movement of cattle, goats and sheep. Compulsory
inoculation was resorted to in the affected parts of Srīvilli
puttūr taluk and all the animals in the affected areas were
inoculated and there was no need for a second inoculation,
disease having subsided with the first. There was also no
difficulty experienced in carrying out inoculations. In one
place (i.e.) Rajapalaiyam disease subsided before compulsory
inoculation was brought into force. The District Magistrate,
Rāmnād, gave ready permission for compulsory inoculations.
The Cattle Disease Act was enforced in Madura and Siva
ganga taluks for closure of the fairs in some places. The
closure of the Madura weekly fair and Neeratham fair
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contributed greatly towards checking the further spread of
the disease.
20. In Madura district, when the Touring Veterinary
Assistant Surgeon, Madura, was not able to cope with the
disease, the Touring Veterinary Assistant Surgeon, Periya-
kulam, was deputed to help him. In the affected areas,
prompt action for the segregation of the affected cases was
taken and inoculations were performed with satisfactory
results.
21. In 93 outbreaks of the 98 received, the staff were able
to visit the scenes of outbreaks but they were able to per-
form preventive inoculations only in 41 of them. In five of
the reports, progress reports received revealed subsidence
of the disease. 8,748 inoculations were carried out and the
number of deaths among the inoculated is negligible, being 9.
22. All arrangements were made for carrying out Serum
Simultaneous method of inoculation in the Central Jail at
Vellore, but owing to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease
amongst the animals, it had to be postponed to the next cold
weather.
23. The method of smearing the nostrils with fresh fæces
of Rinderpest-infected animals was tried in Madura district.
24. Hæmorrhagic septicæmia.—With the exception of
Ramnad district, the remaining parts of the Circle were
affected with this disease to a greater or less extent during
the year. The district most severely affected was Tanjore
and the district staff together with a reserve veterinary
Assistant Surgeon posted to the district as additional hand
were taxed to the extreme in combating it. The disease was
severe and widespread. In 318 reports of the 344 received,
the touring staff arrived at the scenes of outbreaks suffici-
ently early and carried out inoculations in 44 per cent of the
outbreaks attended. Twenty-six reports were not attended
to partly for want of progress reports and partly due to the
subsidence of the disease. Of the 16,166 inoculations per-
formed, the number of deaths among the inoculated was
only 10.
25. Black-quarter.—Fifty-three
reports were received
by the staff and 81 per cent of them were attended to in
time. The disease occurred in South Arcot, Trichinopoly,
Madura and Tinnevelly districts; the death rate was heavy in
Tirukkoyilur and Kallakurchi taluks. Eight hundred and
five inoculations with anti-serum were done against this
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disease. Only five deaths were reported among the
inoculated ones.
26. Anthrax.—The disease was more widely prevalent
than last year in Trichinopoly, Tinnevelly and Madura
districts. Ninety-eight reports were received, 86 attended
and 1,032 animals protected in 9 outbreaks. In others,
advice was given regarding preventive measures. There were
no deaths among the inoculated.
27. Foot-and-mouth disease.—This was not prevalent on
a wider scale as it was last year. The reports received
numbered 50 against 110 in the previous year. Forty-six
reports were attended to and advice and treatment were given
and medicines distributed free to stock-owners.
28. Sheep pox.—Kallakurchi taluk was the scene of one
outbreak this year and it was not of a severe type as it was
in the previous year.
29. Piroplasmosis.—Out of 22 cases of smears sent up
for microscopical examination only two were confirmed—one
in a dog and the other in a cow.
30. Trypanosomiasis.—One case of Trypanosomiasis in a
pony was confirmed microscopically. The pony died a natu-
ral death.
31. Bovine lymphangitis.—Three cases of this disease
were confirmed microscopically.
32. Nasal granuloma.—There
were two reports in
Trichinopoly district and they were attended to.
33. Ephimeral fever.—One report of ephimeral fever was
received and attended to during the year.
34. Other diseases.—The staff received as many as 37
reports for non-contagious diseases and treatment was given
in 35 of them.
35. Kumri.—Two cases were diagnosed in the Veteri-
nary Hospital, Saidapet.
36. Rabies.—In 25 dogs, the disease was confirmed mic-
roscopically, while it was suspected in 19, viz. 17 dogs and
two other domestic animals. Seven dogs and a horse were
treated with anti-rabic vaccines in veterinary institutions
and all of them are alive except one dog which died of
distemper five months after the treatment.
37. Bacteriological cases.—Three hundred and twenty-two
specimens were sent for microscopical examination by the
staff and only 98 proved positive for various diseases, the
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institutions in Madura, Tanjore and Saidapet and the Tour
ing Veterinary Assistant Surgeons, Madura and Saidapet,
contributing most.
38. Miscellaneous—Criminal.—Post-mortems
were con
ducted on 13 animals suspected for criminal poisoning and
arsenic was detected in three cases by the Chemical Examiner
and the offenders were duly convicted. Thirty-seven cases
of malicious injury were examined on the whole on lawful
requisitions from the police and it was necessary to conduct
post mortem on 12 of them. So far as is known only three
cases for malicious injury ended in conviction.
39. Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.—
Three hundred and fifty-three animals charged under the Act
were sent to the respective infirmaries for treatment, of which
243 related to Trichinopoly, 22 to Madura, 24 to Kodaikanal
and 64 to Srīvilliputtūr.
40. Govenment live-stock.—The Government animals in
the Agricultural Farms at Pālūr, Ādutturai and Kōvilpatti,
the calves at the King Institute, Guindy, the Live-stock at the
Borstal Institute, Tanjore, and municipal cattle at Kumba-
kōnam were inspected by the respective staff and advice
given where necessary.
41. Meat inspection.—Eight municipalities, viz., Cudda-
lore, Kumbakōnam, Tiruvālür, Trichinopoly, Kodaikanal,
Srīvilliputtūr, Tinnevelly and Tuticorin utilized the services
of the Veterinary Assistant Surgeons for meat inspection
work. The Virudunagar municipality employed the local
Veterinary Assistant Surgeon for this work from 8th Jan
uary 1926 but subsequently after two months transferred the
work to its Health Inspector.
Similarly the Tanjore
municipality discontinued the services of the local Veterinary
Assistant Surgeon. The desirability of employing veteri
narians who are qualified in meat and milk inspection for
the work was pointed oat to the municipalities but to no
purpose.
42. Fairs and shows.—Thadicombu Pony show was held
during the year in Madura district. The subordinate staff
attended all the cattle fairs held in the circle and gave
lectures on veterinary matters.
VI.—GENERAL REMARKS.
43. The Veterinary Assistant Surgeon in charge Veteri
nary Dispensary, Negapatam, granted certificates in respect
46
of the cattle exported to Straits Settlements and Federated
Malay States and one-half of the fees received on this account
was credited to Government.
44. The Lethal chamber maintained by the Trichinopoly
municipality was duly inspected by the Veterinary Assistant
Surgeon in charge, Veterinary Hospital, Trichinopoly.
45. In the year under review 98 village officers were
reported for slackness in reporting outbreaks of contagious
diseases and in the maintenance of cattle mortality registers.
46. The work has been very heavy on account of the
gradual increase of the executive staff, and the office staff
experienced much difficulty in coping with the work. The
work will, however, assume normal conditions when the
proposed new circle at Madura is formed.
47. The sooner the supply of a lecture lantern to each
circle office is made the better, as a good deal of propaganda
work can be carried out in camp dispensaries in villages.
A. J. WILSON,
Officer-in-charge, IV Circle,
Civil Veterinary Department, Madras.
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ANNUAL ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE
V CIRCLE, CIVIL VETERINARY DEPARTMENT,
COIMBATORE, FOR 1925-26.
I.—ADMINISTRATION.
I held charge of the V Circle comprising North Arcot,
Salem, Coimbatore, the Nilgiris, Malabar and South Kanara
districts during the year, except for a period of six weeks
from 2nd June to 14th July 1925, when I was on privilege
leave. M.R.Ry. A. Ramachandra Ayyar Avargal acted
during this period.
2. M.R.Ry. A. Ramachandra Ayyar spent 35 days in
camp, selected buildings for the veterinary dispensaries at
Gōbichettipālaiyam and Krishnagiri, inspected the Touring
Veterinary Assistant Surgeons and the institutions in Salem
and North Arcot districts.
3. I was on tour for 137 days, inspected all the institu
tions and Touring Veterinary Assistant Surgeons in the
circle, selected a rented building for the veterinary
dispensary to be opened at Tiruchengode, a tended the
departmental conference at Madras, tested two Government
animals at Vellore and Coonoor for Johne's discase and
tuberculosis, conducted black-quarter vaccination at the
Palayakōttai Pattagar's Farm and serum simultaneous
inoculation against rinderpest at the Agricultural College,
Coimbatore, and the Government Cattle Farm, Hosur, and
served as Examiner in Animal Hygiene for B.Sc. Agricul
ture. During my stay at headquarters, I paid frequent
visits to the local veterinary hospital. The small shortage
in the number of tour days was due to my inability to go on
tour during the month of May. and the serum simultaneous
inoculation at headquarters.
II.—EXECUTIVE STAFF.
4. At the close of the year under report, there were 39
Veterinary Assistant Surgeons working in this circle in
charge of hospitals and dispensaries and touring billets. Of
these, three were additional Veterinary Assistant Surgeons
for combating rinderpest in South Kanara district.
5. One Veterinary Assistant Surgeon from this circle
underwent the post-graduate course at the Madras
Veterinary College.
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6. Two new posts of compounders for the hospitals at
Ootacamund and Mangalore were sanctioned during the
year.
(a) Hospitals and dispensaries.
7. Two new dispensaries—one at Gōbichettipālaiyam in
Coimbatore district and the other at Krishnagiri in Salem
district—were opened on 11th June 1925 and 28th August
1925, respectively, and thus the number of veterinary
institutions in the circle at the end of the year under the
control of the department was 18.
8. The hospitals attached to the Agricultural College
Farm, Coimbatore, and the Government Cattle Farm, Hosur,
were under the control of the Agricultural Department, but
these two institutions also will be inspected hereafter twice
a year by the circle officer as per instructions of the
Veterinary Adviser. The Farm Veterinary Hospital at Hosur
was inspected by me during the year at the instance of the
Deputy Director of Agriculture, Live-stock. The Veterinary
Assistant Surgeon in charge of this hospital was also in
charge of the contagious disease work in Hosūr taluk, but as
this arrangement was unsatisfactory he was relieved of the
touring work from 1st March 1926.
9. The number of cases treated at the institutions in
this circle rose from 24,479 in the previous year to 31,600.
Larger admissions in Mangalore, Cannanore, Calicut,
Coimbatore, Pollāchi, Tiruppur, Dhārāpuram, Ootacamund,
Coonoor and Tiruvannāmalai, the opening of new institutions
and absence of any marked fall in the others have
contributed to this appreciable increase.
10. In spite of the progressive fall in the number of
cruelty cases remanded to the infirmaries by the Magistrates
from 645 in the previous year to 427 during the year under
report, the volume of work done at these institutions has
increased. For instance in Coimbatore, Pollāchi and
Tiruppur the number of such cases decreased by about 50
per cent. It was brought to the notice of the District
Magistrate, Coimbatore, that only a very small proportion of
the cases ending in conviction was being remanded to the
infirmaries under the S.P.C.A. Act by the magistrates, and
I am glad to be able to state that as a result of the action
taken by him some improvement in this direction is being
effected. Among the institutions where the admissions
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were less than that of the previous year, viz., Puttūr,
Palghat, Erode, Salem, Vellore and Tiruvancāmalai, the
difference is not very striking, except perhaps in the case of
Vellore. The fall here is attributed to the opening of an
institution at Chittoor. In the areas served by the hospitals
at Erode and Salem, the unfavourable seasonal conditions of
the previous year continued to operate.
11. The number of cases for which medicines were
supplied but not brought to the hospital during the year
was only about half of that in the previous year. Apart
from the fact that the practice of treating cases without
seeing them is discouraged as much as possible, the actual
number of such cases dealt with during a year in any parti
cular institution, mostly depends upon the prevalence in the
neighbourhood of disease such as foot and mouth. A marked
decrease under this head during the year is noticeable in the
case of Puttur. It is due to the absence of foot-and-mouth
disease unlike the previous year, and also there was a special
staff working in the taluk for combating rinderpest.
12. On the whole the work done at the hospitals and
dispensaries has been satisfactory, and the institutions are
steadily gaining in popularity and usefulness. The demand
for more institutions of the kind, as seen from the requests
received from the local boards and municipalities is sufficient
proof of the appreciation of the work done in the past.
(b) Itinerating staff.
13. The number of touring billets in this Circle was 17
including the two newly sanctioned at Namakkal and
Pollachi, during the year. The headquarters of the Touring
Veterinary Assistant Surgeons, Mangalore and Krishnagiri,
were shifted to Kasaragod and Dharmapuri, respectively.
14. One thousand seven hundred and thirty one castra
tions were performed by the touring staff and 725 at the
hospitals and dispensaries, making a total of 2,456 for the
Circle as against 2,068 of the previous year.
15. Owing to want of leave reserve staff in this Circle,
the Touring Veterinary Assistant Surgeons of Tiruppur and
Palghat had to be posted to hospitals to act for the Veteri
nary Assistant Surgeons who urgently required leave, and
the Touring Veterinary Assistant Surgeon, Wynaad, was
asked to work in South Kanara for three months as a
temporary measure for combating Rinderpest.
7
50
16. The number of non-contagious disease cases treated
by the touring staff in the circle during the year shows a
small increase over that of the previous year and the number
under contagious diseases is very much less. Foot-and-
mouth disease being the determing factor, as a rule, for the
increase or decrease, the fall under this head is due to that
disease being less extensively prevalent in the districts of
this circle than in the previous year. As it has been decided
that, with the gradual redaction of itinerating billets, the
present system of touring should be done away with, the
statistics of cases treated on tour will not be a prominent
feature in reviewing the work of this department in future.
The work of the itinerating staff on the whole has been
satisfactory and no further comment seems to be called for.
III.—CONTAGIOUS DISEASES
17. Rinderpest.—Except South Kanara, this disease did
not cause any serious concern in the districts comprising
this Circle. The disease found its way to South Kanara from
the adjoining province of Mysore through cattle brought in
by the dealers from time to time. All the taluks were
affected and the disease was widespread. One-hundred and
fifty-five reports mentioning 1,923 deaths were received by
the staff of which 135 were attended and the rest were either
pending at the end of the year or the outbreak had subsided.
The Cattle Disease Act of 1866 was put in force as it was
found impossible to bring the disease under control without
compulsory inoculation permissible under the provisions of
the Act. Cattle pounds were established at convenient
centres, viz.:—
(a) Badiatka (Kāsarāgōd taluk) with an Additional
Veterinary Assistant Surgeon and Touring Veterinary
Assistant Surgeon as pound-keepers.
(b) Moodibidri (Karkal taluk) with an Additional
Veterinary Assistant Surgeon as pound-keeper.
(c) Ajjabattu (Mangalore taluk) with an Additional
Veterinary Assistant Surgeon as pound-keeper.
(d) Kodumbala (Uppinangadi taluk) with an Addi
tional Veterinary Assistant Surgeon as pound-keeper. The
Touring Veterinary Assistant Surgeons, Kāsarāgōd and
Udipi, were also authorized by the District Magistrate to do
compulsory inoculation under the Act in specified areas, and
compulsory inoculation was carried out. Of a total of 14,033
inoculations against Rinderpest in 127 outbreaks in the