7
EPIZOOTIC DISEASES IN CALCUTTA AND SUBURBS.
This section was attached to the Field Section during the period under
report and was under the direct control of the Assistant Director (Veteri-
nary), West Bengal. The staff consisted of seven Inspectors of the
District Veterinary Officer's grade including one Chief Glanders Inspector.
One Head Constable and 7 Constables of the Calcutta Police are perma-
nently attached to this Section to help them in the seizure of cases under
the Glanders and Farcy Act. Before partition all the Inspectors of this
Section were Muslims except the Chief Glanders Inspector. They all opted
for East Bengal. So far some time after partition, i.e., up to December
1947, all the vacancies could not be filled up and the Section had to work
short-handed.
The area of work of this Section is the jurisdiction of the Calcutta
Corporation and 14 other municipalities around Calcutta, viz., (1) Bara-
nagore, (2) Panihati, (3) Kamarhati, (4) Titagarh, (5) Khardaha, (6) North
Barrackpore, (7) South Barrackpore, (8) Dum Dum, (9) North Dum Dum,
(10) South Dum Dum, (11) South Suburban (Behala), (12) Garden Reach,
(13) Tollygunj and (14) Howrah. Within this area they are not only to
detect cases of Glanders, Farcy, Surra and other epizootic diseases among
the equines, but also to deal with all outbreaks of contagious diseases
among the bovines. In this latter function they were assisted by the Field
Assistants to help them in carrying out prophylactic treatment. For
facility of work and quick transport of staff with requisite medicines and
instruments to the seat of work this Section was provided with a jeep and
an ambulance. After partition the jeep was taken away (by the Director
of Veterinary Services, East Bengal, and the ambulance was left in an
unserviceable condition.
The staff of this Section as a general routine made periodical inspec-
tions of 90 stables and hackney carriage stands and thus they inspected
1,226 horses for detection of cases of epizootics in the equines. But
fortunately no cases were reported. They inspected 26,251 cattle in 996
byres including the gowkhanas of the Calcutta Corporation and other
suburban municipalities lying within the Glanders areas. They inspected
the cattle markets at Kidderpore, Goabagan, Chitpore, Dum Dum, etc.,
to enquire into the prevalence of contagious diseases and instructed people
in scientific care and management of their livestock. Besides giving in-
oculations against contagious diseases at the request of owners, they attended
71 outbreaks of Rinderpest, one outbreack of Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia and
one outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease. They inoculated 6,423 against
Rinderpest by Sero
Vaccine Method, 55 head of cattle against
Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia and treated 10 head of cattle for Foot and Mouth
Disease.
VACCINE MANUFACTURE.
Vaccines and Sera for Equines and Bovines.—Excepting Goat Tissue
Vaccine, which is manufactured in the Bengal Veterinary Research
Institute, all Sera and Vaccines required for the equines and the bovines
were indented from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Mukteswar,
Izatnagar, United Provinces.
Sri B. B. Chakravarty held charge of the Institute as a tentative
arrangement from 15th August 1947 to 22nd October 1947. Sri M. B.
Menon, who was on leave, joined duties after expiry of his leave on 23rd
October 1947 and remained in charge for the rest of the period.