5
23. One case of surra was found in a donkey at
in Jaran-
walla Tahsil.
24. Total number of surra cases diagnosed amongst Government
camels during the year = 455.
25. Total number of surra oases diagnosed amongst private camels
during the year = 23.
26. Making a total of 478 cases of surra diagnosed during the
year.
27. Remarks on mortality.—Two hundred and fifty-eight deaths occurred
from surra, 153 out of this number having occurred in the 54th Corps. When
I examined the camels of this Corps I found only 6 cases of surra in a one
clay's examination. At the time of my examination all the camels of this Corps
were in splendid condition with the exception of a few among those at
Sheikkupura and Shahdara, and these, I informed the Commandant, should be
kept under observation for surra. I would suggest that during the fly
season camels should not be grazed in this area, but removed to a drier district
where biting flies are less numerous. The Commandant states that a large
proportion of these cases occurred in remounts purchased to replace those
destroyed for surra during the cold weather of 1914-15.
28. At Dera Ismail Khan a large number (88) of camels were infected
with surra. The local transport camels are certain to be infected as long as
these camels are kept at Dera Ismail Khan during the fly season, owing to the
prevalence of biting flies and surra amongst the privately owned camels.
29. To prevent outbreaks of surra amongst the Local Transport
camels at Dera Ismail Khan, the camels should be removed during the fly
season to a rakh in the Salt Range where biting flies are few and in which
private camels are not allowed to graze during the fly season. If such a rakh
is not given, surra will continue to cause great loss. Had it not been for the
zeal of Captain Wace, the Officer Commanding the Local Transport, in sub-
mitting the surra camels to treatment, the loss to Government would have
been 88 camels which at an average of Rs. 140 (Rs. 140 × 88) =
Rs 12,320 ; but by treatment 54 were cured at Dera Ismail Khan and 6 at
Sohawa.
30. In connection with surra I would point that it appears to be a
prevalent belief that trypanosomes cannot be found in the blood unless the
camel has a high temperature; this is, however, not correct. Occasionally try-
panosomes can be found in the blood of a camel without a high temperature,
this occurs just before a paroxysm or just after ; in other words, when try-
panosomes are just entering the peripheral circulation or just leaving it. The
only practical method of examining a large number of camels daily is to
examine the blood of only those showing an abnormally high morning tem-
perature ; the method being for all practical purposes absolutely reliable.
This statement is based on the result of the examination of several thousand
camels.
31. Ninety-one deaths from colic are reported. The majority of these
cases could be cured by ordinary treatment, but generally they occur when no
veterinary assistance is available. I have in previous reports suggested that
sarwans be supplied with Epsom Salts, and if this were done I think many
camels would be saved.
32. It is not at all improbable that many of the cases reported as
having died from enteritis, diarrhoea and dysentery are really due to drugs
that have been administered by the camelmen by way of treatment for indi-
gestion or other simple disorders, The camelman's methods of treatment are,
as a rule, very crude ; the hot iron, gastro-intestinal irritants and " ghee " are
his favourite remedies. I have come across one camel that had been fired all over
the body, and four cases came under my notice in April, in which the animals
had been killed by having been treated with large doses of Taramira oil ; in
one case the unfortunate camel in addition to taramira oil, Juvain