NationalLibraryOfScotland/medical-history-of-british-india huggingface dataset:
ANNUAL REPORT
OF THE
CIVIL VETERINARY DEPARTMENT
BIHAR AND ORISSA
FOR THE YEAR
1929-30
CHAPTER I.
GENERAL ADMINISTRATION.
MR. D. QUINLAN being still on combined leave preparatory
to retirement, Major P. B. Riley, I.V.S., continued to act
as officiating Director and Veterinary Adviser to Government
while Special Officer Mr. Ismail Malik, M.R.C.V.S., held charge of
the North Bihar and Rai Sahib P. N. Das of the Orissa Range
throughout the year.
2. The work including the Central Range having been too
heavy for one officer, a re-arrangement of the duties of the
Director and the Assistant Director attached to (he head office
was approved by Government and accordingly, Assistant Director,
Babu Nilmoni Chatterji, was placed in charge of the range
with certain restrictions from 22nd May 1929.
3. During the year, Major Riley visited 39 veterinary
hospitals and dispensaries out of 126 in the province, attended
a meeting of the Imperial Council of Agricultural Research at
Simla and the joint meetings of this Council and the Board of
Agriculture held at Pusa, and a meeting of the Selection Board
for the appointment of the remaining superior staff to the Bihar
and Orissa Veterinary College at Patna, acted as an examiner
at the annual examinations of the Bengal Veterinary College
and also as Examiner and President of the Bihar and Orissa
Veterinary Examination Board. He interviewed candidates for
fresh admission to the Bengal Veterinary College and saw
students reading there. He also held a conference of gazetted
officers of the Department at Patna and visited the Sonepur fair.
2
Major Riley was on tour for 148 days and travelled 2,672
miles by road.
4. The remaining work of construction and fitting of the
new Bihar and Orissa Veterinary College at Patna was supervised
and the Patna cattle-breeding farm inspected by him as in the
preceding year.
NORTH BIHAR RANGE.
5. Special Officer, Mr. Ismail Malik, held charge of the
range throughout the year. He spent 164 days on tour and
travelled 3,874 miles byroad in addition to the rail journeys,
inspected almost all veterinary hospitals and dispensaries in the
range, visited the Government cattle farms at Sepaya and Pusa,
as well as the important cattle and horse fairs and shows, and
the Bihta fair of the Central Range, and acted as one of the
judges at the Sitamarhi cattle show.
6. In addition, Mr. Malik attended the meetings or the
Bihar and Orissa Co-operative Federation Congress, the Develop-
ment Board meetings, Bhagalpur and Tirhut Divisions, at
Purnea and Daulatpur and the departmental conference at
Patna. During his ordinary tours, he visited several seats of
outbreaks and carried out propaganda for removing the scrub
bulls by the Burdizzo (bloodless) method of castration.
7. During the year, the electric installation for the office of
the Deputy Director at Muzaffarpur was completed, while
sanction was given to provide it with a telephone as well.
CENTRAL RANGE.
8. Major Riley held charge of the range in addition to his
duties as Director and Veterinary Adviser up to the 22nd May
1929 after which it was placed under Babu Nilmoni Chatterji who
performed the duties of a Range Officer with certain exceptions
in regard to leave and transfer of the subordinate staff.
9. During the year Babu Nilmoni Chatterji inspected most
of the veterinary hospitals and dispensaries in the range. In
addition, he visited 389 villages for verifying the work of the
touring veterinary assistant surgeons, attended an outbreak of
Johne's disease and bovine contagious abortion at Monghyr
Dairy Farm, supervised the "serum simultaneous" inoculation
against rinderpest at the Patna Cattle Farm, acted as a judge at
the Bihta Exhibition and as member and Secretary to the Bihar
and Orissa Veterinary Examination Board and also gave lectures.
3
to the cadets of the Hazaribagh Police Training school on common
contagious diseases of cattle. He spent 150 days on tour and
travelled 2,892 miles by road.
ORISSA RANGE.
10. Rai Sahib P. N. Das held charge of the range throughout
the year.
During the period, he inspected all the veterinary hospitals
and dispensaries except Phulbani and Ghatsila, checked the work
of touring veterinary assistant surgeons in the mufassal, visited
many villages where outbreaks of contagious cattle diseases had
occurred, checked the inoculation and castration figures and
personally attended some outbreaks. In addition, be also
attended some meetings of the district boards and Divisional
Development Boards, the annual general meeting of the Co-
operative Central Bank, Kujang, and several other meetings,
such as those of the governing body for the proposed co-operative
training institute, rural educational bias school, Chowliaganj
Goshala, Provincial Co-operative Congress, all held at Cuttack,
a meeting of the Selection Board and a conference of gazetted
officers of the Department held at Patna.
11. The "serum simultaneous " inoculation against rinderpest
which was carried out for the first time in the range at the
Government Agricultural Farm, Cuttack, was personally con-
ducted by him. He also attended an outbreak of skin disease
among the Cuttack Jail cattle, examined some cases of equine
surra at Jamshedpur, inspected a number of goshalas and
pinjrapoles, the livestock of the agricultural farms at Khurda,
Sambalpur, Kanke and Cuttack, and also the Khedda veterinary
dispensary at Purnakote.
12. He was on tour for 189 days and travelled 3,513 miles
by road in addition to the journeys by rail.
13. The electric installation for the office of the Deputy
Director at Cuttack was sanctioned during the year and the
work has since commenced.
CHAPTER II.
VETERINARY INSTRUCTION.
14. Bihar and Orissa Veterinary College.—By the end of
the year all remaining construction work of the original estimate
was completed and the main college and laboratory together with
attached buildings and residential quarters were made over by
the Public Works Department. Some additional buildings such
as cook house for syces, rabid dog ward, out-houses for student
4
and post-graduate hostels and Darwan's goomti, as well as the
laying out of a garden and planting of shrubs in the college
compound which were undertaken later, could not be finished
within the year. These are now in progress. Messrs. Mansfield
and Son, Calcutta, also completed the work of fitting, erection of
gas plant and connections for internal water-supply according
to the terms of their contract. The main work that remained to
be done was that of water-supply, sanitation and drainage and
electric installations to the buildings ; of these, the electric instal-
lations were also completed within the year but as regards
water-supply and sanitation, the work was delayed due to the
late arrival of certain machinery. The whole work, including
laying of distribution mains, internal pipings and fittings, pump
chamber, water tower and staff quarters, has now been completed
while all drains including gulley pits being constructed, sewers
laid, the pumping station completed and the pumping plant
installed it is expected that the sewerage system will be in
operation as soon as the connection with the electric main is
completed by the electrical department.
15. The total expenditure on buildings up to the end of May
1930 as furnished by the Executive Engineer, amounted to
Rs. 5,8l,622 while the expenditure incurred on account of water
supply, sanitation and drainage up to 31st March 1930, was
Rs. 1,20,772. This is in addition to Rs. 49,069 paid to Messrs.
Mansfield and Son, and KB. 40,012 spent on electric installations.
16. The scheme for conservancy and street lighting, the work
of which is to be conducted departmentally, is still under
consideration.
17. In order to start the college on the 1st July 1930, it was
considered necessary to recruit the Principal and the Professor of
Pathology and Bacteriology and Research Officer about four
months in advance. Both posts were therefore readvertised on
improved terms sanctioned by Government and as a result
Mr. R. T. Davis, i.v 8., Vice-Principal, Bengal Veterinary College,
was recruited as principal. The other post remained vacant
during the year.
18. On the recommendations of the two Selection Boards
which met at Patna during 1923-29 and 1929-30 the following
officers were recruited with effect from the date shown against
each :—
Date.
1. Dr. A. C. Chaudhury,
B.
Sc.
1st April 1930.
Ph.D. (Edin.), Professor of
Hygiene, Dietetics and
Animal breeding.
5
2.
3.
4.
5.
Mr. G. N. Roy Chaudhury,
G.B.V.C.,
Professor of
Surgery and Obstetrios.
Mr. J. M. Lahiri, M.R C.V.S.,
Professor of Anatomy and
Physiology.
Mr. M. B. Bose, M.SC.,
Lecturer on Biology and
Chemistry.
Mr. S. I. H. Akbari, G.B.V.C.,
Lecturer in Materia Medica
and Therapeutics.
Date.
1st April 1930.
5th May 1930.
1st January 1930.
1st April 1930.
19. Of these officers, the first three were appointed on
contract on special rates of pay while the two lecturers were
appointed permanently but on fixed pay of Rs. 250 per month
each. The two Professors of Surgery and Obstetrics, and
Anatomy and Physiology, as well as the Lecturer in Materia
Medica and Therapeutics received practical training preliminary
to their appointments.
20. Arrangements were also made during the year for
filling up the posts of subordinate professional staff, the clerical
as well as the menial staff required for the college. Most of
these posts have since been filled.
21. The college has been opened with effect from the 1st
July 1930.
22. Training at the Bengal Veterinary College.—The Bihar
and Orissa students continued their studies at this college for
another session on condition that they would all rejoin the new
veterinary college at Patna from 1st July 1930.
23. Thirteen students, all matriculates, joined the college
against tea in the previous year. Of these, nine were granted
stipends by local bodies, three by Government and one by Bettiah
Raj.
24. The total number of Bihar and Orissa students on the
roll was 36 against 53 in the year 1928-29.
Of these, 25 were Hindus, 6 Muhammadans and 5 Indian
Christians, and by nationality, 24 were Bihari, 5 Chota Nagpuri,
5 Oriya and 2 Bengali. The total number included 34 stipen-
diaries (viz. 27 district board, 6 Government and 1 Bettiah Raj).
6
25. The results of annual examinations of the Bihar and
Orissa students at the Bengal Veterinary College were as
follows :—
Class
"A"...
...
„
"B"
...
...
„
"C"...
...
Total ...
Appeared.
12
11
13
36
Passed.
9
10
11
30
26. Post-graduate training.—Except
the two Professors
Messrs. G. N. Roy Chaudhury and J. M. Lahiri, and Lecturer
Mr. S. I. H. Akbari, no other officer was deputed for training.
Mr. Roy Chaudhury attended the Bengal Veterinary College at
Belgachia for four months, while Mr. Lahiri went through
a special course of instruction at the Lahore Veterinary College
for the same period and Mr. Akbari was deputed to the Prince
of Wales Medical College, Patna, for three months.
Livestock inspector, Babu N. N. Ghose, on completion of
his training at Bangalore, Anand and Karnal, returned to duty
on the 26th September 1929.
27. Professional examinations for subordinate officers.—
These examinations were held twice as usual and conducted by the
Bihar and Orissa Veterinary Examination Board. Major Riley
acted as President as well as senior examiner, while Assistant
Director, Babu Nilmoni Chatterji, as Secretary and second
examiner. Thirty-one veterinary assistant surgeons including
those who failed in the previous examinations appeared, and out
of them 12 passed.
28. Training in England.—No fresh State veterinary scholar
was sent to the United Kingdom during the year. 'The only
such scholar Mr. S. K. Sen completed his study in the third
year class and was promoted to the final year.
29. The cost of training in England amounted to £290,
while a sum of Rs. 22,359 including Rs. 21,200 paid as contribu-
tion to the Bengal Government towards the up-keep of the
Bengal Veterinary College, was spent on training in India.
CHAPTER III.
TREATMENT OF DISEASE.
30. General condition.—All the principal contagious livestook
diseases were prevalent during the year, the most conspicuous
among them being rinderpest and hæmorrhagic septicaemia.
The death rates of these two diseases were abnormally high in the
7
Orissa range but due, mainly, to some severe outbreaks of rinder-
pest having occurred in Cuttack district. It is, however, satisfac-
tory to note that foot and mouth disease was on the decline in
this range. Although no widespread outbreak was reported in
the Central Range except one of foot and mouth disease, judging
from the statistics available, the health of cattle in this range
cannot be called satisfactory, as there has been an all round
increase in the numbers of outbreaks, seizures and deaths. The
conditions of North Bihar were, however, different.
The
diseases in that range appeared mostly in a mild form, while
anthrax was not reported except in one district.
31. The incidence of different contagious livestock diseases
is shown in the map enclosed.
32. The total number of outbreaks reported in the province
was 6,660 in which 35,543 deaths were recorded, as compared with
6,852 outbreaks and 27,767 deaths recorded in 1928-29. The
figure 6,660 includes 1,683 outbreaks of loot and mouth disease.
Including 41,675 cases of this disease, the total number of
animals affected in the above outbreaks was 1,11,080 compared
with 1,1.4,566 of the previous year which shows a total decrease
of 3,486 attacks. Help could be given by the staff in 5,846
outbreaks against 5,970 in the year 1928-29.
33. The statistics of the outbreaks of contagious diseases, etc.,
with reference to the area and cattle population of each range
are shown below :—
North Bihar...
Central...
Orissa ...
Total
Area in
square
miles.
20,467
33,844
28,864
83,166
Livestock.
8,620,637
10,474,062
7,803,869
*27,907,548
Number of
outbreaks
reported.
944
2,982
2,734
6,660
Number of
Outbreaks
attended.
934
2,783
2,129
6,849
Nnmber of
animals
affected.
9,352 (a),
46,891(b)
55,837(c)
111,080
Number of
deaths
recorded.
8,896
13,276
18,372
35,543†
(a)
(b)
(c)
Includes 3,936
„
19,854
„
17,885
oases of
„
„
foot and
„
„
mouth disease.
„ „
„ „
* The figure are according to the latest census or 1925.
† Excluding 12 deaths under Equines and 130 deaths under "others" (smaller animals).
34. Chaukidars recommended for punishment or reward.
176 chaukidars were punished or recommended for punishment
for failing to report outbreaks, while 90 were rewarded or
recommended for rewards for giving timely help to the staff.
EQUINE.
35. Glanders and Farcy.—Nil.
36. Anthrax.—5
cases of anthrax were reported in
Darbhanga district and all of them died.
8
37. Surra.—2 cases of surra were reported in the district
of Shahabad of which 1 died before treatment and the other was
cured with naganol. 2 more cases were detected at Jamshedpur.
They were seized under the Glanders and Farcy Act and success-
fully treated with intrathecal injection of naganol. Further spread
of the disease was stopped by giving the healthy animals
prophylactic doses of the same medicine.
38. Tetanus.—3 cases of tetanus and 3 deaths from the
same disease were reported in Darbhanga and Pumea districts.
39. Strangles.—Altogether
59 cases of strangles were
reported and out of them 2 died.
BOVINE.
40. Rinderpest.—Rinderpest
was prevalent in all districts
the heaviest mortalities being, however, recorded in Cuttack
where as many as 7,936 head of cattle succumbed to it. As in
the previous year, the two subdivisions of Banki and Cuttack Sadr
were badly affected for which extra help had to be given. The
high death rate in this district is attributed to the virulence of the
outbreaks in a wider area and insufficient supply of serum, the
district board, Cuttack, failing to make adequate provision for
same.
The disease, though reported in a sporadic form, also caused
considerable loss of cattle in Puri, Angul, Ranchi, Palamau,
Hazarihagh, Gaya and Santal Parganas.
The proposal for the appointment of another touring
veterinary assistant surgeon for Bargarh subdivision with
Padampur as headquarters did not materialise.
The particulars of the outbreaks of rinderpest reported and
attended in each range as compared with those of the previous
year are shown in the following table:—
Range.
North Bihar ... ...
Central ... ...
Orissa ... ...
Total ... ...
Outbreak reported.
1988-29.
99
774
1,174
2,047
1929-30.
143
1,462
1,450
3,054
Outbreak attended.
1928-29.
98
766
929
1,792
1929-30.
140
1,422
1,218
2.780
Number of animals
affected.
1928-29.
784
11,032
37,260
89,966
1929-30.
2,060
21,304
36,408
68,762
Number of death
recorded.
1928-19.
424
4,647
11,414
16,385
1929-30.
1,089
9,644
16,479
27,213
41. Foot and mouth disease.—Foot and mouth disease was
reported in all districts but its Outbreaks were not very
widespread except in Patna where it affected Bankipur town
9
and some adjoining villages rather badly. It lingered in these
places for about six months before it could be controlled with
the help of an extra staff. The disease did not assume its usual
virulence in Cattack, Puri and Angul, i.e.. the districts in which
it had taken its permanent seat in the past. And, speaking
generally of Orissa, there has been a reduction of over twenty-
four thousand cases compared with the previous year. The highest
mortality (114 deaths) was, however, recorded in Puri although
the number of attacks in that district was comparatively small.
The reduction noticed in the Orissa range was partially counter-
balanced by an increase of six thousand cases in the central
range and also by a slight increase in the number in North Bihar.
Altogether 41,675 animals were affected in 1,683 outbreaks, and
out of these, 311 died during the year, compared with 59,780
attacks in 2,008 outbreaks and 22S deaths in the year 1928-29.
42. Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia.—It is satisfactory to note that
unlike the previous years the virulence of this disease was
markedly less during the year under report. High mortalities
were, however, recorded in Saran, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga and
Champaran with 557, 527, 486 and 462 deaths recorded in them
respectively. The outbreak in Saran district though not severe
or widespread, necessitated the deputation of an extra staff as the
district board would not employ the full complement of veterinary
assistant surgeons in any of the subdivisions, especially in the
sadr which has an area of more than 1,000 square miles with 12
police-stations. The other districts that need mention, are Patna,
Gaya, Shahabadand Santal Pargaoasin the Central, and Cuttack
and Balasore in the Orissa Range. Even in these districts though
the death rates were high in some cases, no widespread outbreak
was reported. As in the previous year, the disease was not
reported in Angul.
1,701 outbreaks of haemorrhagic septicaemia were reported
in the province, and in them, out of 9,263 animals attacked, 7,077
died, against 2,470 outbreaks, 12,839 attacks and 9,597 deaths
recorded in the year 1928-29. The staff could give aid in 1,612
outbreaks.
43. Black quarter.—Like haemorrhagic septicaemia, there
was a fall in the statistics of black quarter also, as during the year
only 566 deaths were recorded out of 66'.) animals attacked in
146 outbreaks, compared with 731 deaths, 865 attacks and 191
outbreaks in 1928-29. It was reported in 11 districts, viz., Saran,
Champaran, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Monghyr, Patna, Gaya,
Shahabad, Bhagalpur, Santal Parganas and Cuttack, against 8 in
10
the previous year. Only 1 death was recorded in the Orissa Bange.
144 outbreaks were attended by the staff. The disease was confirmed
by microscopical examination in the laboratories in each case.
44. Anthrax.—Anthrax
was reported in seven districts, viz.,
Gaya, Charnparan, Monghyr, Santal Parganas, Hazaribagh,
Manbhum and Palamau. 289 deaths were recorded in 44 out-
breaks as compared with 158 deaths recorded in 41 outbreaks
in 1928-29, the disease being confirmed microscopically in
almost all cases.
As usual, the monthly return of anthrax was submitted to
the Consulate General of America at Calcutta.
45. Other contagions diseases.—133 deaths were recorded
under this head, against 355 in the year 1928-29. The figure
includes 14 deaths from rabies in bovines, 35 from bovine surra,
10 from ephemeral fever and 1 from Johne's disease.
46. Ovine.—65 deaths from ovine foot and mouth disease
were reported in the Orissa Range in 2 outbreaks. Both
outbreaks were properly attended to.
Canine.—68 deaths from canine rabies were brought to
notice, against 79 reported in 1928-29, one death from surra in
canine was also discovered in the Central Range.
PREVENTIVE INOCULATION.
47. The staff gave protection by preventive inoculations to
324,032 head of animals, against 328,153 in the year 1928-29.
The work in respect of each range is shown below :—
North Bihar
Central ...
Orissa ...
...
...
...
Total
...
...
...
...
105,066
150,494
68,472
324,032
48. The details of inoculations regarding each district are
shown in Table III.
49. Rinderpest.—Protection
to cattle by the " Serum alone "
method was given in all districts with the result that 164,641
cattle were inoculated during the year in 1,029 outbreaks as
compared with 149,098 clone in 873 outbreaks in 1928-29. The
largest number viz., 96,402 cattle were protected in the Central
Range, the figures for the Orissa and North Bihar ranges being
52,628 and 15,611 respectively.
50. Experimental inoculation.—During the year an experi-
mental inoculation against rinderpest was conducted in North
Bihar and Central range on the lines adopted in Assam with
11
a view to increasing the immunity of inoculation. The animals
in a selected area were infected just before inoculation by
smearing virulent saliva on the buccal and nasal mucous
membranes. The results proved satisfactory but as the method
involves certain amount of risk in operation, people Were
unwilling to continue the experiment in more than one outbreak.
51. Serum simultaneous inoculation.—Iu
addition to the
ordinary method, 100 cattle of the Patna Cattle Farm and 136 of
the Agricultural Farm at Cuttack were inoculated by the
" Serum Simultaneous " method. In both cases the operations
proved successful.
52. Out of the total number inoculated, 1,203 animals died
which shows that the death rate among the inoculated animals
was . 73 per cent.
53. Hæmorrhagic Septicæmia.—Inoculation
against H--
morrhagic Septicaemia was undertaken in all districts except
Angul and Sambalpur, the total number protected by this
method being 123.141 in G26 outbreaks, as compared with 145, 546
done in 651 during 1928-29. In addition, 1,609 animals were also
protected with vaccine in two districts, Puri and Manbhum, and
at Patna farm. The largest number 22,598 inoculations were per-
formed in Darbhanga and next to that, 17,594 were done in Gaya
district. The figures are distributed according to ranges as
follows :—
North Bihar
Central
Orissa
...
...
...
Total
...
...
...
...
69,701
46,393
13,656
129,750
54. Thirty-five inoculated cattle died and the death rate
among the inoculated was about . 03 per cent.
55. Anthrax.—6,883
cattle were protected by anti-anthrax
serum in the three ranges against 8,119 of the previous year, and
out of this, 12 animals died of the disease. The largest number
3,708 were protected in Gaya. The death rate among the inocu-
lated was about . 2 per cent.
56. Black quarter.—Protection with all the latest methods
wore given to as many as 22,522 cattle in 11 districts compared
with 25,204 protected in 1928-29. Out of the total number
over 19,000 were done in the North Bihar Range. Only 9
cattle died among the inoculated.