PART I.—IMPERIAL REPORT.
B.—REVENUE SECTION.
V.—BACTERIOLOGICAL LABORATORY.
252. During the year under review, the Imperial Bacteriologist has con-
tinued his investigations with reference to the disease commonly known as Surra.
This disease is one that demands much attention, causing, as it does, terrible
mortality, mainly amongst equines and camels. During 1894-95, the following
fresh outbreaks were reported from different localities :—
"1890.—Manipur—80 animals died, principally Punjabis (Berkley).
1892-94.—Bickanir camels—303 died in three years (Hagger).
1893.—At Chindwin, the Bombay Burma Company lost 24 elephauts valued at Rs. 40,000
from Thut (Surra). In the rains of 1894, anthrax raged in tame and wild
elephants (Whitehouse).
1893.—The 1st Madras Lancers at Secunderabad lost some 49 country-bred horses
(Smith).
1894.—Outbreak amongst Saharanpore and Rajpur dâk ponies. 84 died in 1893 and 88 in
1894 from Surra (Loughlin).
1894.—Katgodam and Naini Tal dâk ponies, 67 succumbed during the autumn.
1894.—Government Commissariat mules—outbreak occurred between Bareilly and Rani-
khet in October.
1894.—An outbreak occurred in Bareilly: all the animals suffering from the disease either
died or were destroyed (Raymond).
1894.—Bombay Mounted Police—loss between 15 and 20 horses, principally Persian Gulf
animals.
1894.—Bombay Tramway Company,—loss 16 animals, principally north country-bred, only
a few Australians.
1894.—A very severe and widespread outbreak, covering an area of some 400 square miles
and occasioning the loss of thousands of animals, occurred in the Gujrat
Ahmedabad, Baroda, and surrounding districts. The outbreak affected horses,
ponies, camels, and donkeys. In the Vadavali Taluka of the Gaikwar Ter-
ritory, 50 out of 150 villages, lost the majority of their animals from surra
(Axe).
1894-95.—An outbreak of surra occurred some 40 miles to the north of Tanna and some
two or three hundred succumbed to the disease, principally dâk ponies
(Morgan)."
"At the end of 1894, surra appeared in the villages of Aurangpur, Nangala, and Dadri, in
the Jhajjar Tehsil of the Rohtak district, 15 ponies died in the three villages in November.
The country around is known as the ' Dabar" on account of inundation and swamp. Ponies are
very few there. In the Rohtak district, the disease is well known to the natives as "Tebarsa,"
'Purana', or 'Nikalgaya' affecting camels. (Pease).
" Outbreak amongst Cavalry horses marching through Delhi in 1894-95 (Pease.)
" An outbreak of surra occurred affecting horses in the Gurshanker Tehsil, South Punjab.
(Pease.)
"During the last three months of 1894, an outbreak of surra took place at Pali among the
brood mares and young stock belonging to the stud of Maharaja Sir Pertab Singh. Some fifty
animals succumbed to the disease (Hagger).
" A great number of horses and donkeys died all over the district. The city of Ahmedabad
appears to have been spared this visitation, and also Dhandhuka ; but it swept over all the rest of
the district and the Gaikwari country to the north. A Resolution of Government has been
received postponing the horse show at Ahmedabad for two years (Collector's report)."
253. Dr. Lingard being now in a position to give some definite opinion on
the question as to whether "surra " is ever amenable to treatment, and as to the
immunity of horses that have previously suffered from an attack of the disease,
has included the following in his report of work done during the year, and as
his remarks are considered of much practical value, his report is given in
extenso, in order that the treatment advocated by him may be tried by others.
Dr. Lingard says:—
" Treatment of Horse Surra.—Since the publication of the last report, the experimental
treatment of surra has been continued with success. Some fifteen country-bred and Austra-
lian horses, the subjects of the naturally contracted disease, were sent to the Poona Labora-
tory during the year from the stables of the Mounted Police and the Tramway Company,
Bombay. Unfortunately the majority of the animals had been suffering for varying periods of