147
to find. The disease, on the other hand, exists to a very great extent in the
Hissar and Rohtak districts which are dry and arid. I had an opportunity of
seeing an outbreak of black quarter at the Hissar cattle farm where it is very
common, and also had an outbreak of if at the Jahazgarh cattle fair in the
autumn. It is the same disease as is found in England and behaves in exact-
ly the same way as regards its symptoms and course.
549. In most of the districts visited, the most serious disease reported, with
the exception of rinderpest, was found to be that which is known to us as malig-
nant sore throat, which is looked upon by the natives as the most serious
of all diseases of cattle. It generally makes its appea ance in the rains,
in the month of Bhadon especially. I find, taking fifty villages visited dur-
ing my tour, that 28 of them were invaded by this disorder last year.
So far as I am able to ascertain this is essentially a disease of the buffaloe
and chiefly attacks young animals up to the age of two or three years.
In by far the greater majority of the villages examined, the people say
that the disease only attacks young buffaloes. In others they say that young
calves are also affected, and in others again, that animals of all kinds and
all ages are attacked. In some villages it is generally believed by the people
that the disease only attacked young buffaloes a few years ago, but that now
it attacks bullocks and calves also. This may be the case, or it may be that
similar diseases are confounded one with another, which is by no means
unlikely.
The disease I am alluding to is very sudden in its appearance, attacking
an animal apparently in good health and condition and running its course
with alarming rapidity, the animal perishing in a few hours. It appears sud-
denly in a village and disappears as suddenly after attacking animals in great
or less numbers for from three to five days, so that it is extremely difficult to
catch cases excepting by accident, as the disease is over before one gets inform-
ation of its appearance and gets to the scene of the outbreak.
It is extremely uncertain in the number of deaths it causes, but the death
rate per thousand is often very high indeed. The following, taken haphazard,
from a number of villages shows the number of deaths to the number of buffaloe
calves present:—
Name of village.
Taprana
Tikri
Kambohpurah
Dadlana
Shaikhpurah
Bijna
Badli
Sambhalka
Bazeda
Phurlak
Gogripur
Reyr kalan
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Number present
200
100
100
200
90
124
800
70
80
150
140
200
Number dead.
15
6
2
15
40
5
60
2
14
30
50
60
The symptoms are suddenly developed and usually commence with high
fever. The animal may stand with all his legs stretched out, or may lie
down in that fashion, the ears and extremities are cold. There is a discharge
from the eyes and nose and great difficulty in breathing rapidly comes on, ac-
companied by swelling of the throat which is very variable in extent. There
may be swellings in other parts of the body as well.
The course of the disease is very rapid and recovery very seldom occurs,
the mortality being about 98 per cent.
Nature of the disease.—I am not inclined to think that this disease is
charbon bacteridien, but consider that it is a special disease the cause of which
has not yet been ascertained. It much resembles a disease which occurs amongst
buffaloes in Italy and which is known by the name of Barbone. This
disease has been studied by Oreste and Armanni (studie e recherche al barbone