87
PART I.—IMPERIAL REPORT.
B.—REVENUE SECTION.
V. (A)—EQUINE DISEASES.
Bombay.
454. Glanders and Farcy.—During the year under review, important im-
provements have been made to ensure the proper working of the Glanders and
Farcy Act in the City of Bombay. It will at once be seen how very important
it is that all the machinery for the working of this Act should be in perfect,
working order, as owing to the large importation of ponies and horses into
Bombay, the greatest danger exists that unless the closest supervision is
exercised, the disease which is always prevalent amongst Arab horses, would
be introduced into the various Mounted branches of the Service.
The staff has hitherto been—
1 Itinerating Veterinary Inspector,
1 Harbour Veterinary Surgeon,
and, in addition to this establishment, the Principal and Assistant Principal,
Bombay Veterinary College, have been appointed Veterinary Surgeons under
the Act. Certain professional gentlemen have also been appointed Veterinary
Surgeons and four Inspectors of Police, who are in charge of the parts into
which the City is at present divided for the purposes of the Glanders and Farcy
Act, have been appointed Inspectors under the Act, in addition to their other
duties.
It was mainly to free the last mentioned, that I, in consultation with the
Commissioner of Police, urged the appointment of Veterinary Assistants who
would be possessed of professional knowledge sufficient at any rate to diagnose
the disease and who would be able to devote their whole time to their
work.
The Bombay Government have proposed to add the following to the
existing staff:—
4 Veterinary Inspectors,
2 Havildars,
2 Constables,
and I am pleased to state that this Establishment has received the sanction of
the Government of India; with it, all cases of Glanders and Farcy existing in
the Port and City of Bombay, should be promptly dealt with. I cannot, how-
ever, help stating that this establishment will require the very closest supervi-
sion on the part of the Principal of the Bombay Veterinary College, who
should be held responsible for the proper carrying out of the provisions of
the Act.
The Veterinary Surgeon, under the Act, reports as follows on the work
done during the year :—
"During the year there were 26 horses destroyed at the Sewri Lazaretto for glanders as against 34 in 1894;
a very considerable decrease which is highly satisfactory. Of these 26 horses, 6 belonged to Hackney Carriage
owners, 10 came from the Arab and other Commission stables in Bombay, 3 were found wandering about the
streets ownerless, 3 were the property of private individuals, and 4 were detected on board the Steamer arriv-
ing in harbour from the Persian Gulf. Of the above cases, 19 were Arabs, 4 Country-breds, and 3 Walers."
Although the decrease in the number of cases detected would at first
sight appear to be satisfactory, still the establishment was not sufficient to ensure
detection of all cases and I fear that many remained undetected. Even allowing
for the decrease, the numbers show an alarming prevalence of the disease; take
for example 4 cases found on board ship; these must have communicated
the disease to many others, and there is nothing contained in the report which
shows that any steps were taken to isolate the horses that had stood in the
vicinity of the affected animals on board ship; if this were not done, these
horses no doubt were distributed to various parts of India disseminating
the disease.