Proceedings of the Hon'ble the Chief Commissioner and Agent to the Governor General, North-West Frontier
Province, No. 3934, dated 20th August 1908.
READ—
The Report on the working of the Provincial Civil Veterinary Department for the year
ending 31st March 1908.
REMARKS.—Mr. Woodley remained in charge of the Civil Veterinary
Administration of the Province throughout the year. In addition to attending
the Horse and Cattle Shows at Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan and Haripur he
was able to inspect all the Veterinary Hospitals and Dispensaries, with one ex-
ception, and the majority of the tonga lines existing in the Province, besides
touring in connection with horse and cattle breeding and contagious diseases.
He also attended the Calcutta Conference in February 1908.
2. Since the suggestion was put forward in 1903 seven students in all
have been sent to the Punjab Veterinary College by the Local Bodies of the
Province. Of these four have already completed the course of instruction and
have been posted as Veterinary Assistants to various dispensaries; the re-
mainder are expected to be available in April or May 1909. Since the close
of the year under report Peshawar, Kohat, Hazara and Dera Ismail Khan
have each been invited to depute another student to Lahore next year.
The Chief Commissioner is glad to note that during the year six
Veterinary Assistants were trained in inoculation work at the Imperial Labora-
tories, and he trusts that it may be possible to make arrangements far a certain
number of Assistants to be deputed each year for the same purpose.
3. Outbreaks of contagious diseases were reported during the year from
all five districts as well as from the Tochi and Kurram Agencies, but there
was a satisfactory decrease in mortality amongst bovines, the number of deaths
being 632 only against 1,593 in 1906-07. Rinderpest accounted for more than
half this number, and hæmorrhagic septicæmia and black-quarter were main-
ly responsible for the rest. Rinderpest was severe in Dera Ismail Khan,
and appeared also in Kohat and Kurram. Hæmorrhagic septicæmia occurred
in Peshawar, Kohat and Hazara, and outbreaks of black-quarter were reported
from the same three districts as well as from the Kurram: the percentages of
deaths from these two diseases were as usual high, namely 89 and 97 respec-
tively. Out of ten cases of anthrax in Peshawar nine succumbed. Bannu and
Tochi were entirely free from deaths amongst bovines throughout the year.
Inoculation against rinderpest is now greatly appreciated, but in Hazara
there was open hostility to inoculation for hæmorrhagic septicæmia. The
results of vaccination with blacklesgoids in the case of black-quarter will not
be apparent for some years, and future operations should be carefully watched
and reported upon.
The Superintendent is incorrect in stating that such vaccinations were
commenced for the first time this year, for in paragraph 18 of last year's report
it was recorded that 1,500 vaccinations against this disease were performed.
Amongst equines one case of glanders appeared in the Peshawar City;
two deaths took place from surra, four from tetanus and one from strangles.
There were no cases of anthrax or dourine.
A virulent outbreak of liver fluke occurred in the Kurram, where 574
sheep died. The year was upon the whole unusually healthy, but the system of
reporting outbreaks of diseases appears to be deficient and capable of improve-
ment, and the District Officers will be addressed upon the subject.
4. The Veterinary institutions have continued to do good and useful
work, especially the four Veterinary Hospitals at Peshawar, Kohat, Bannu and
Dera Ismail Khan, where the number of animals treated has risen from 8,530 to
10,620. In addition to the hospitals eleven dispensaries were open at the close
of the year. The Veterinary Assistants attached to these have hitherto been
obliged to spend two-thirds of their time itinerating: the scheme for increasing