135
INFORMATION COLLECTED.
534. PUNJAB.—Veterinary Captain Pease, Assistant to Inspector General,
Civil Veterinary Department, reports as follows:—The Bacteriological survey of
disease has made considerable progress during the year. In November 1895, a
tour was commenced in the districts of Gurgaon, Delhi, Amballa, Kurnal, with
the object of obtaining information regarding the various maladies which affect
the live stock and their relative prevalence in the various districts. I was very
much astonished to find that absolutely no statistics of the prevalence of disease
are forthcoming from the district authorities and that no one was able to furnish
me with any information on the subject. In these circumstances, and seeing
that the Veterinary Assistants could give me no help, knowing practically nothing
in the majority of instances, regarding the nature or prevalence of the diseases
which occur and as I could only visit a very few villages in every district, it be-
came necessary to devise a scheme for the collection of the information required
for the Survey. In order to do this it was first necessary to obtain the permis-
sion of the various District Boards and Local authorities through the Local
Government, to correspond with the Veterinary Assistants direct. A scheme
for reporting the prevalence and occurrence of certain diseases in every village in
every district of the Punjab has now been inaugurated and the result should be
that a very considerable portion of the province will have been surveyed by next
year. At the same time numerous diseases occurred which could not be classi-
fied and it was thought advisable to investigate the nature of these as opportunity
occurred. This has been done and the results of my observations will be found
under the heading "Investigation of disease" (page 146).
Under the heading "equine disease," will be found a resumé by Dr. Lin-
gard, of the reports which have been submitted from my office regarding out-
breaks of surra.
No detailed reports regarding cattle plagues are available in my office and
it is considered undesirable to deal with this subject until more reliable returns
can be secured, as those at present obtainable are unreliable and very mis-
leading.
585. BURMA.—The mortality from contagious diseases during the year
under report, namely, 77,834, is far in excess of that of previous years and is
entirely due to an unprecedently severe and widespread outbreak of rinderpest
in the Akyab district, where it prevailed to an alarming extent throughout the
greater portion of the year, the number of deaths registered amounting to
42,309. The disease appeared in a most virulent form and was specially
severe amongst buffaloes. The Superintendent remarks:—
"The first intimation received by this Office regarding the prevalence of disease in Akyab, was in the mid-
dle of August, when the most part of the mischief had been done inasmuch as the disease had, by that time,
extended to most parts of the district and thousands of animals had perished. If the mortality in Akyab be
excluded the mortality from contagious disease is slightly less than the previous years. The mortality from
rinderpest alone in the Akyab district exceeds by 12,262 the total loss from all contagious diseases in Lower
Burma."
This wholesale mortality of cattle from rinderpest in Akyab is apparently
due to the fact that the District Officers neglected to report the occurrence
of the disease until August, or two months after its appearance and it should
form a good object lesson to the district officers interested and also to those in
India where the same thing is of constant occurrence.
Anthrax and charbon symptomatique.—The mortality for the year is 14,489
or 1,551 more than last year, the districts suffering most were Akyab, 5,089,
Bassein 1,460, Henzada 1,348 and Prome 1,388.
Foot-and-mouth disease.—A few districts suffered losses in cattle from this
disease, it was nothing like as severe as last year.
The total mortality from all causes registered was 1,15,964.
36. MADRAS.—In the Madras Presidency, the five districts of Chinglepat,
South Arcot, Salem, North Arcot and Coimbatore, have been selected for the
purpose of carrying out the bacteriological survey of disease. These districts
have been divided into ten circles to each of which a Stock Inspector has been
posted.