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There is one point about this disease which I should like to mention and
that is that it is not necessary to isolate animals which are suffering from it.
We cannot hope to limit its spread by these measures as they are carried out
in the districts. The people are put to a lot of unnecessary trouble for no
good at present and I think that it would be as well for the masters of the
Veterinary Assistants to recognise this fact and spare the Zamindars. The
people have several methods of treatment which if they are adopted are very
successful and it scarcely seems necessary to interfere with them. The percent-
age of deaths is infinitely small.
557. Rinderpest.—I have very little to add to what has been said in former
ports about this disease. It is enzootic in every district which I have visited
during this year's tour and causes losses which it is impossible for me to
properly estimate as there are absolutely no returns from which even an
approximate idea could be formed. I can safely say that the losses are en-
ormous and that it is perhaps as well that we cannot put them down on
paper. I have now given up all hope of ever getting reports of disease
which can be of any value from the Veterinary Assistants or from the District
Officers but have devised a scheme by which I can get an approximate idea
which I hope to be able to give next year. Of the value of district returns
I have already spoken in previous reports, and my investigations this year
have only confirmed and accentuated what I have said before. I find for
instance that the Umballa District returned last year something like 200
deaths from this disease but on enquiry I find that about one-third of the
total number of cattle died over the greater part of the district. In Jagadhri
there is a deficiency of one-third of the plough bullocks and a considerable
amount of land has been temporarily thrown out of cultivation. I suppose
we might safely say that something like 60,000 or 80,000 animals perished
during the year according to what the people say. But there is no record
to show this nor can it be proved, excepting by the fact that there is a
deficiency of a third of the plough bullocks and it is only a logical deduction
that the cows suffered more than the plough bullocks which are more valuable
and are hence more cared for. So much for Umballa, Kurnal is not in much
better plight. I believe that the Veterinary Assistant's return of deaths for
the last five years comes to a total of something like 400, and I cannot safely
say that more deaths have occurred in single villages in a single year. In
the Delhi District little information can be got. I may say that the district
people, that is the native officials, who are the only people who know anything
of the matter, say that they always have rinderpest going in the district but
that it occasionally breaks out in a very serious epidemic form. What the
losses are it is impossible to estimate.
I may point out that losses of cattle from disease are yearly becoming of
more importance on account of the decline of cattle-breeding and losses now a
days are not so easily made up as they were a few years ago. I am satisfied
that in a very few years the Government will become aware of the very great
importance of dealing with the subject of cattle-breeding and the limitation
of contagious disorders, and my only hope is that this may not come too late in
the day. In view of the very great difficulty which exists in catching cases of
diseases which are rapidly fatal and which remain prevalent only for a few
days, I have come to the conclusion that the only way to get material is to get
the assistance of the Veterinary Assistants and obtain through them the mate-
rial which will enable the Imperial Bacteriologist to determine the nature of
the malady. For this purpose I am distributing to each of certain selected
Veterinary Assistants the means of collecting material which can be forwarded
to Mukhtesar for experiment. I am very well aware of the difficulty there
will be in getting material properly collected and we must expect a certain
number of failures owing to the material being contaminated by extraneous
matters which will cloak the real cause, but it is hoped that a certain number
will be successful and thus the diagnosis be settled. Once this can be done
there will be little trouble in getting such reports as are submitted properly