NationalLibraryOfScotland/medical-history-of-british-india huggingface dataset:
No. 1501, DEVELOPMENT, 22ND SEPTEMBER 1927
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sufficiently often and thoroughly. In connection with this question
of supervision the Veterinary Adviser has referred to the necessity
for a personal assistant to each of the circle officers. The question
of appointing such assistants is at present under the consideration of
Government.
7. During the year there were 46,371 deaths from contagious
diseases. Out of this number 21,476 deaths were due to rinderpest.
This disease has been virulent and widespread for some years. It is
a disease which is extremely difficult to check and although every
effort has been made by means of inoculation and the introduction
of the Cattle Diseases Act, large numbers of cattle still succumb to
it. The Government are considering the question of organizing the
resources of the Veterinary Department in a more effective manner
so that the disease may be diminished in its incidence, if not entirely
stamped out. Of the two systems of inoculation adopted, one, the
serum-alone method, is easily administered but gives only a very
short period of immunity while the other, the serum-simultaneous
method, confers permanent immunity but is attended with certain
difficulties. The Veterinary Adviser reports that during the year
597 animals were protected against rinderpest by the serum-simul-
taneous method. The Government are considering how the number
of animals inoculated by this method can be increased. Two of the
chief difficulties in the way are the sentimental objections of the
ryots and the necessity for highly trained officers to make the
inoculation.
8. The work at the Madras Veterinary College continued to be
satisfactory. The Government are considering the question of
improving the standard of education at the college.
(By order of the Government, Ministry of Development)
V. PANDRANG ROW,
Secretary to Government
To the Veterinary Adviser.
„ the Director of Agrioultnre.
„ the Accountant-General.
„ All Collectors
„ the Board of Revenue (Land Revenue and Settlement).
„ Revenue Department.
„ the Government of India, Department of Education (Health and Lands) (with C L.).
Editors' Table.
AGENTS FOR THE SALE OF MADRAS GOVERNMENT
PUBLICATIONS
IN INDIA
BOTTERWORTH & Co. (LTD.), 6, Hastings Street, Calcatta.
R. CAMBRAY & Co., Calcutta.
THACKER, SPINK & Co., 3, Esplanade East, Calcatta.
MESSRS. THE BOOK COMPANY, Calcutta.
The Superintendent, DIOCESAN PRESS, Vepery, Madras.
HIGGINBOTHAMS (LTD.), Mount Road, Madras.
V. KALYANARAMA IYER & Co., Vellala Street, Vepery, Madras.
THE LAW BOOK DEPOT (LTD.),
15 & 16, Francis Joseph Street,
Madras.
G. C. LOGANADHAM BROTHERS, Madras.
S. MURTHY & Co., Madras.
G. A. NATESAN & Co., Madras.
P. R. RAMA IYER & Co., Madras.
S. VAS & Co., Madras.
E. M. GOPALAKRISHNA KONE, Pudumantapam, Madura (Madras).
THE CO-OPERATIVE TRADING UNION (LTD.), Srivilliputtar (Madras).
THE MODERN STORES, Salem (Madras).
THE THEOSOPHICAL PUBLISHING HOUSE,
Adyar, Madras.
R. SUNDER PANDURANG, Kalhadevi Road, Bombay
D. B. TARAPOREVALA SONS&
Co., Bombay
TRACKER & CO. (LTD.), Bombay.
THE BURMA BOOK CLUB (LTD.), 240-a, Merehant Street, Rangoon,
Burma.
The Superintendent, NAZAIR KANUN HIND PRESS, Ahmedabad.
NIVASARKAR, Manager, " Hitawada," Nagpur.
RAMAKRISHNA & SONS, Lahore.
M. C. KOTHARI, Bookseller, Publisher and Newspaper Agent,
Raopura Road, Baroda.
THE FEDERAL RUSSER STAMP COMPANY, Penang, Straits Settlements.
UNIVERSAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, Bezwada.
UPPER INDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE, LIMITED,
Lucknow, U.P.
NOTICE
Official publications hitherto obtained from agents
in the United Kingdom and on the Continent will in
future be obtainable either direct from the office of the
High Commissioner for India, 42, Grosvenor Gardens,
London, S.W. 1, or through any bookseller.
ANNUAL
ADMINISTRATION REPORT
OF THE
MADRAS CIVIL VETERINARY
DEPARTMENT
FOR THE YEAR
1927-28
MADRAS
PRINTED BY THE SUPERINTENDENT, GOVERNMENT PRESS
PRICE, 12 annas
1928
LIST OF CONTENTS.
I. Staff .. .. .. ..
II. Education .. .. ..
III. Research
IV. Contagious disease
Rinderpest .. .. ..
Haeniorrkagio Septicaemia ..
Anthrax .. .. ..
Blackquarter .. .. ..
Foot and Mouth disease
Tuberculosis .. .. ..
Johne's disease .. ..
Infectious Lymphangitis of Cattle
Nasal Granuloma .. ..
Piroplasmosis .. .. ..
Trypanosomiasis .. ..
Strangles
.. .. ..
Kumri .. ..
Sheep-pox .. .. ..
Rabies .. .. ..
Spirochsætosis .. ..
Chicken-pox .. .. ..
V. Non-contagious disease .. ..
(a) Hospitals and dispensaries ..
(b) Itinerating Staff .. ..
(c) Castration .. .. ..
VI. Miscellaneous .. .. ..
Criminal .. .. ..
S.P.C.A. .. .. ..
Forest Livestock .. ..
Public Health .. ..
Fairs and Shows .. ..
VII. Finance .. .. ..
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ii
CONTENTS
VIII. Programme of work for 1928-29 .. .. ..
Report of the Principal, Madras Veterinary College .. ..
„ Officer in charge, I Circle .. .. ..
„ „ II „ .. .. ..
„ „ III „ .. .. ..
„ „ IV „ .. .. ..
„ „ V „ .. .. ..
„ „ VI „ .. .. ..
Tables .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Illustrations—
1. A room in the laboratory, Madras Veterinary College .. ..
2. A village in Bellary district struck with Rinderpest .. .. ..
3. Coimbatore Veterinary Hospital .. .. ..
4. Chingleput Veterinary Dispensary .. .. ..
5. A dog from which six guinca worms were removed ..
6. A camp for simultaneous inoculations against Rinderpest at Parlakimedi
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ANNUAL ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE CIVIL
VETERINARY DEPARTMENT, MADRAS PEESI-
DENCY, FOE THE YEAR 1927-28.
I.—STAFF.
(a) Administrative.
Mr. D. A. D. Aitchison held the office of Veterinary
Adviser to Government until the forenoon of 21st November
1927, when he proceeded on leave preparatory to retirement.
2. Mr. Aitchison inspected the offices of the III, V and
VI Circles and many of the subordinate staff during his tours
and also the sites selected for the construction of permanent
Veterinary hospital buildings at Nandyal, Bellary, Palghat,
Kodaikanal and Rajapalayam. He visited Bangalore to con-
fer with the Head of the Mysore Veterinary Department on
the question of taking concerted action for the control of
Rinderpest, and he served as President of the Board of Exa-
miners at the Bombay Veterinary College in April 1927.
3. Mr. F. Ware returned from leave and deputation to
the Imperial Agricultural Research Conference in London, on
21st November 1927, and held charge of the department from
that date until the end of the year.
4. Mr. Ware inspected the offices of the Principal,
Madras Veterinary College, and the I, II, IV and VI Circles,
several hospitals and dispensaries, the serum simultaneous
inoculation camps being held in Trichinopoly and Tinnevelly
districts, and selected sites for hospital buildings at Cuddapah,
Bezwada and Negapatam during his period of office. In
December 1927, he attended the Congress of the Far Eastern
Association of Tropical Medicine in Calcutta as an official
delegate.
(b). Indian Veterinary Service.
5. Mr. P. T. Saunders held the post of Professor of Sur-
gery, Madras Veterinary College, until 30th June 1927, and
then acted as Principal until the end of the year in the place
of Mr. Ware on leave and other duty.
2
6. Mr. T. J. Hurley was in charge of the IV Circle until
18th April 1927, when he proceeded on combined study leave
out of India. Mr. V. Krishnamurthi Ayyar remained as Pro-
fessor of Pathology and Bacteriology, Madras Veterinary
College, throughout the year.
(c) Madras Veterinary Service.
7. Mr. G. T. D'Silva continued to hold the post of Assist-
ant Professor and Personal Assistant to the Principal, Madras
Veterinary College, until 7th August 1927, when he availed
himself of long leave preparatory to retirement. His post
was filled at different times by Mr. M. Sundaranathan and
Mr. K. S. Nair, M.R.C.V.S., the latter having been directly
recruited to the Provincial Service on 2nd December 1927.
8. Mr. H. C. Sampath Ayyangar was in charge of the III
Circle for the first part of the year and on 9th August 1927
took over the I Circle, where he displaced Mr. M. R. V. Panik-
kar, who acted as Professor of Surgery, Madras Veterinary
College, from 8th July 1927 until the end of the year.
Mr. M. Anant Narayan Rao held charge of the III Circle from
30th July 1927 till the end of the year.
9. Mr. R. Narasinga Rao was in charge of the II Circle
during the year, except for a period of three months leave,
when Mr. C. Suryanarayanamurthi acted for him. Messrs.
K. Kailasam Ayyar and A. Ramachandra Ayyar held charge
of the V and VI Circles respectively throughout the year, and
Mr. A. J. Wilson did the same in the IV Circle, except for the
first 17 days in April 1927.
(d) Subordinate.
10. The sanctioned cadre of Veterinary Assistant Surgeons
on 31st March 1928 was 230, but only 223 had been appointed
up to that date. The manner in which these men were
employed is shown in Table VII. During the year 17 new
graduates were entertained in the department, one Veteri-
nary Assistant Surgeon resigned and one was dismissed. Mr.
S. I). Devadoss Pillai, formerly a Veterinary Assistant Surgeon
in this department, was transferred to the Forest Department
as Inspector of Livestock from 2nd November 1927.
II.—EDUCATION.
11. The question of enlarging the graduate course at the
Madras Veterinary College was considered during the year,
but it was decided to leave the matter over until the report
of the Royal Commission on Agriculture in India was received.
Plate No. 1
A ROOM IN THE LABORATORY OF THE MADRAS VETERINARY COLLEGE.
AN ASSISTANT EXAMINING RINDERPEST VIRUS FOR SIMULTANENEOUS INOCULATIONS.
3
12. The total number of students in the College again show-
ed an increase over the previous year, there being 86 on the
rolls, of whom 82 appeared for the annual examinations in
March 1928. Out of 22 students in the final year, 19 gradu-
ated, and the percentage of passes in the other classes was
also very high. The Board of Examiners remarked in their
report that the rules for these examinations were more lenient
than was desirable, and the sanction of Government has
recently been obtained to a slight revision.
13. The Post-Graduate class, which was held from July to
December, contained only 4 Veterinary Assistant Surgeons of
this department, the total of 8 being made up with 3 Veterinary
Assistant Surgeons from Bihar and Orissa and 1 Veterinary
Graduate working in the Federated Malay States. All except
the latter passed the examination at the end of the course.
14. The hospital attached to the College showed a consi-
derable total increase over the figures of the previous year,
but the number of in-patients appears to be decreasing
steadily. A proposal is before Government to open a branch
dispensary in the neighbourhood of Rayapuram with the idea
of providing Veterinary relief in the northern part of the City
and also in the hope that this will act as an advertisement for
the parent hospital and so provide more clinical material, which
is so necessary for the proper training of the students.
15. A comparison of the figures given in the Principal's
report will show to what extent the routine work of the
Laboratory of the College has increased in the last two years,
and in order to relieve the Professor of Pathology from some
of this work an improvised Parasitological section was formed
towards the end of the year. The arrangement is working
satisfactorily and it seems probable that this section has come
to stay. A third Laboratory Assistant was sanctioned during
the year.
16. Towards the close of the year an attempt was hurried-
ly made at the College to produce a suitable Rinderpest virus
in sufficient quantities to meet the heavy demands which were
being made for this from the districts. A few minor difficul-
ties were encountered in this initial attempt, but it is hoped
to overcome these shortly, when the College should be in a
position to help very materially in the organised campaign
against Rinderpest which is so much needed.
17. Three Harland lecture lanterns have been purchased
for distribution amongst the Circle officers of the department
for the purpose of propaganda work, and the slides for these
4
are being prepared at the Veterinary College. The College
itself has been doing some propaganda work in the City for
several years past by participating in the Health and Baby
Exhibition held annually in the South Indian Athletic Associ-
ation Grounds, and this year Mr. Krishnamurthi Ayyar, Pro-
fessor of Pathology, who has designed and arranged the exhi-
bits each year, had the satisfaction of seeing the Veterinary
College awarded the first prize for exhibits of popular
scientific interest.
18. A review of the work of the Madras Veterinary Col-
lege during the past year would not be complete without a
reference to the retirement of Mr. G. T. D'Silva, for many
years its Assistant Principal and lately "termed Assistant Pro-
fessor and Personal Assistant to the Principal. In all, Mr.
D'Silva has spent 28 years in the service of his country, and
of these 21 years were spent on the teaching staff of the
Madras Veterinary College. His influence on the department
as a whole has therefore been enormous and it will be very
difficult adequately to fill his place.
III.—RESEARCH.
19. Veterinary Research did not receive any official sup-
port in this Presidency until 1926-27, when Rs. 1,000 was
voted under this head. In the year under report this was
increased to Rs. 1,400, and it is hoped that as a result of the
recommendations in the recently published Report of the
Royal Commission on Agriculture this subject will in future
receive the attention which it deserves and in fact requires,
if the question of animal, and to some extent human, disease
is to be successfully tackled.
20. One point to which reference is made in the above-
mentioned report is the necessity for correlating education
and research, and with this same object in view, a scheme,
which did not meet with the approval of Government, was
submitted during the past year for sending four officers for
Post-Graduate training, in order to strengthen the teaching
staff of the Madras Veterinary College and at the same time
render these men capable of carrying out independent re-
search in their particular subjects.
21. From time to time the different members of the staff
of this department have recorded their observations in the
Veterinary Press, and the full list of these publications is no
mean one, but the only officer who, at the present time, is
in a position to make any sustained effort in Research is the
5
Professor of Pathology at the College. This officer, Mr.
Krishnamurthi Ayyar, continued his studies on Infectious
Lymphangitis, Nasal Granuloma, and Tuberculosis of cattle
during the year and a paper of his on the first mentioned
disease appeared as a Memoir in the Veterinary Series of the
publications of the Department of Agriculture in India. Other
minor investigations, some of very great interest, carried
out by this officer are referred to in the Principal's report.
22. The separation of the Parasitological work from the
Pathological section of the College Laboratory has already
been referred to, and Mr. Panikkar has been placed tempo-
rarily in charge of the former. He has initiated a few pieces
of research work, but further subdivision of this section is
necessary before any important results can be expected.
23. Mr. Anant Narayan Rao has obtained a new Cer-
caria, the name given to the larval form of the flukes parasi-
tic in domestic animals, from a mollusc found in a tank in
Bellary district, and a paper on this subject is ready for the
press.
24. As a result of conversations with Col. McCarrison,
Director of the Deficiency Diseases Enquiry at Coonoor, an
arrangement has been made for the members of this depart-
ment to supply him with material from the domestic animals
in connection with his enquiry into the cause of cystic calculi.
IV.—CONTAGIOUS DISEASE.
25. In addition to those bodies mentioned in previous
reports, the Cuddapah Municipality and the District Boards
of Ramnad, Anantapur and East Godavari have adopted the
by-laws relating to the control of animal contagious disease
and are now responsible for reporting outbreaks to this
department.
26. The year under review was noteworthy for a regret-
table increase in the mortality of cattle from contagious
diseases, the total number of deaths reported being 76,197
which is the highest figure recorded since 1909-10. As in
the previous year, Ganjam and Nellore suffered most heavily,
these districts returning the enormous total of 13,881 and
8,779 respectively, but of this number 6,085 and 6,060 are
unclassified under " other contagious diseases. " Rinderpest
was the main cause for the increased mortality, but Anthrax
and Foot and Mouth disease also contributed.
27. The total number of reports of contagious disease
received and attended by the staff was 4,534 and 3,811 res-
pectively as compared with 3,713 and 3,031 in the previous
6
year. The number of outbreaks attended by the staff during
the past year was greater therefore than the number of re-
ports received by them in 1926—27, and this in spite of the
fact that the number of touring posts remained the same.
28. The number of inoculations carried out by the staff
against Rinderpest shows an increase, but owing to a fall in
the number performed against Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia,
Anthrax and Black-Quarter there is a slight decrease in the
total number of inoculations when compared with the previ-
ous year.
29. Rinderpest.—The reported number of deaths from this
disease was 35,803 against 23,676 in the previous year and
two-thirds of the above total mortality occurred in the live
districts of Anantapur, Malabar, Chingleput, Gunjam and
Bellary. Tinnevelly, the Nilgiris, South Kanara and Nellore
also suffered severely, although the latter district shows a
considerable reduction from the figures of the previous
year. Kistna also appears to be passing through a period of
comparative quietude after several years in which the ravages
of Rinderpest were very severe.
In Madras City there were 68 deaths as compared with
250 in the preceding year.
30. The methods by which this department attempts to
control the spread of Rinderpest are by applying the Madras
Cattle Disease Act, under which notification by the owner of a
diseased animal is compulsory, the movement of animals can
be stopped, cattle fairs closed, and compulsory inoculation by
the serum alone method enforced ; and by carrying out volun-
tary inoculations either by the serum alone or serum simul-
taneous method. The Cattle Disease Act was applied in all
the badly infected districts, but owing to an insufficiency of
staff, it is extremely difficult to enforce rigidly the provisions
of the Act, Compulsory inoculation was resorted to in seve-
ral districts and 61 persons were prosecuted in the III Circle
for not submitting their animals for inoculation.
31. Unfortunately, owing to the short period of immunity
conferred, both the department and the public are losing
faith in the inoculation of serum alone as a method for stamp-
ing out Rinderpest, except under very strict quarantine regu-
lations, so that until inoculation by the serum simultaneous
method, which confers a more lasting immunity, is made
compulsory under the Act there seems to be little use in re-
sorting to this method of control.
Plate No. 2
A VILLAGE IN BELLARY DISTRICT STRICKEN WITH RINDERPEST.
(1) A MADIGA SKINNING A CARCASE.
(2) VULTURES WAITING FOR THE CARCASE.
(3) GENERAL VIEW OF THE CARCASES WITH VULTURES AND DOGS
FEEDING ON THEM.
7
32. The total number of inoculations performed against
Rinderpest by the serum alone method, was 184,798 as com-
pared with 181,781 in the previous year, and as this method
appeared to be having very little effect in checking the dis-
ease a special effort to introduce the simultaneous method of
inoculation on a comparatively large scale was made in the
early part of 1928, at which time of the year cultivating ope-
rations are not being carried on to any extent. Muktesar be-
ing so far away, virus was obtained either locally or from
the Mysore Civil Veterinary Department, to whom our best
thanks are due, and by the end of the year under report 6.182
bovines and 46 other animals had been protected by this
method, and of these only 9 animals died after inoculation.
Messrs. Sampath Ayyangar, Kailasam Ayyar, Anant Narayan
Rao and A. Ramachandra Ayyar are to be commended on
the enthusiasm which they showed in this campaign.
33. From last year's report it appears that the chief diffi-
culties in the way of increasing the number of animals pro-
tected by this simultaneous method in the past have been
the sentimental objections of the ryots and the lack of highly
trained officers. The first obstacle appears to be disappear-
ing naturally, for it is stated that in many places the ryots
will not have serum alone, but ask for the simultaneous
method. Quite a number of the senior members of the sub-
ordinate staff have now had sufficient experience in the field
to be able to supervise these inoculations with success and a
scheme has been submitted to Government for a considerable
increase in the supervising staff of the department, so that a
real effort may be made to control this and the other con-
tagious diseases of cattle, which stand so much in the way of
the prosperity of the ryot.
34. Hæmorrhagic septicæmia.—There was a slight in-
crease reported in the mortality from this disease, the dis-
tricts worst affected being Ganjam, Kistna, Guntur and
Vizagapatam. Only 8,350 serum inoculations were per-
formed as compared with 27,486 in the previous year. This
decrease is due to the heavy work of the staff in connection
with Rinderpest, but it is unfortunate that no inoculations
could be performed in Ganjam, where the disease was very
severe.
35. Anthrax.—The reported mortality from this disease
rose from 4,612 in 1926-27 to 5,074 in the past year. The
districts returning the largest number of deaths were Malabar,
Ganjam, Bellary and East Godavari. A few sporadic cases
also occurred amongst cattle in Madras City. Inoculation