12
REPORT ON THE CIVIL VETERINARY DEPARTMENT (INCLUDING THE INSEIN
the spread of disease in the words of the Deputy Commissioner were :
"the indifference of the people in the less remote and their opposition
in the more remote parts of the district to all measures for preventing
the spread of the disease."
18. Segregation Rules.—Segregation
rules are generally reported
to be more or less understood and followed. One Subdivisional Officer
remarks, however: "There is reason to believe that some cases of
cattle disease were burked by cattle owners from a desire to save
themselves from the bother of following the segregation rules and to
keep the carcases for consumption and sale in case of death." I am
sure he is right; he goes on, however, " unless Veterinary knowledge
is diffused and the owner has learned to sacrifice his convenience and
property for the common good of all it is difficult to enforce the
rules in their entirety." I admit the difficulty of enforcing the rules
in their entirety but I doubt very much if the altrustic state of affairs-
he mentions will ever come about. In no other country that I know
of is the individual expected to sacrifice his convenience and property
for the common good of all. In England with the help of the
Agricultural Colleges, veterinary knowledge is fairly diffuse and
Veterinary Surgeons are plentiful; notwithstanding this, however, a
very stringent Contagious Diseases (Animals) Act exists with provi-
sion for compensation in case the Board of Agriculture considers the
slaughter of affected and in-contact animals expedient for the public
good so that except for inconvenience of disinfection, etc., ordinarily
the individual does not suffer heavy pecuniary loss. I need hardly add
the penalites for evasion of the law are sufficiently stringent to ensure
its purpose. That a diffusion of veterinary knowledge in Burma may
result in a better understanding of the problems of disease and their
prevention I admit, but it won't make the Burmease nation any more
self-sacrificing than it has the people of other nationalities. As an
example of what can be done by strict enforcement of the present
rules I quote the following from the Deputy Commissioner, Prome :
" There was no serious epidemic of any kind during the year under
report. This is due to the cattle routes from Sandoway being
effectively looked after by the Veterinary Assistant from Nyaungchi-
dauk, a village midway beween Padaung and Taungup road, thus
preventing the import of diseased cattle to cattle markets and subse-
quent spread of infection to various parts of the district. As an
additional check, cattle brought to the cattle market, Prome, are
regularly inspected by the Veterinary Assistants before they are
distributed to various villages in the district."
The greatest defect in the present rules is the fact that no provision
exists for punishing those who instigate the unfortunate cattle owner
to break the rules by skinning the carcases, selling the meat, etc.
19. Registration of Cattle Deaths.—The system of registration of
cattle deaths has been in force in Lower Burma for some years. In
Upper Burma it has been applied to Yamèthin and Kyauksè districts.
Returns from the last named district are not submitted to this office.
I am of opinion this registration should be compulsory throughout the
Province. The system is admittedly inaccurate in many respects,
notably in the diagnosis of the cause of death but even then it is
better than the rough estimate at the end of the year at present