13
23. Babies.—A case occurred in Sohawa in August 1911 in a sucking
camel-bacha; symptoms, paralysis of tongue, partial paralysis of hind-quarters,
unnatural agressiveness and tenesmus.
24 Camel-pose.—Several outbreaks were seen in adults this year. It
was benign and no deaths occurred, the lesions being generally confined to
the lips. The treatment adopted was to wash the lips once with carbolic soap
and thereafter to apply Boric vaseline daily; and to hand-feed instead of
allowing the camel to go out and graze Great swelling of lips and face is
sometimes seen in this disease when the camel has been allowed to graze and
has injured his sore lips with the thorns
25. Hydatid disease —One death due to Echinococcus cysts was seen
in September. Symptoms :—Emaciation, and Dyspnoea ; normal temperature
and appetite, no cough. Lungs and liver were crammed with cysts, and death
was due to suffocation. It is rare to find this common hydatid in such
quantities as to cause death of the camel.
26. Fracfoires.—The camel is an excellent subject for the treatment of
simple fractures below the knee, or even below elbow and stifle. The bullet
should not be resorted to in these cases as a rule. A bullock-cart makes a
good ambulance when one is necessary; the camel can rest himself well during
cure, and fattens instead of wasting.
27. Joint-diseases.—Two of the most common diseases in the Indian
camel are Akr and Sheemuk, arthritis, respectively, of shoulder and hock These
diseases occur suddenly under circumstances pointing to a rheumatic cause
and should get complete rest from the first until they are absolutely free from
lameness ; the reason so many cases of chronic or incurable Akr and Sheemuk
are seen in camels is that, on the first attack, they are only rested until they are
not too lame to go under a load and not until they go sound; the joints are
worked before the inflammation has quite subsided, the cartilage becomes
involved and chronic arthritis supervenes. Camelmen think that because the
lameness of Akr and Sheemuk tends to wear off with exercise, the camel should
be treated with exercise.
28. Camel diseases in Sind.—I toured in Sind from 3rd January to
26th February 1912, visiting typical camel-country first along the right bank
of the Indus, then across the delta, and to the edge of the Thar Parkar desert,
finally returning up the left bank of the river ; the number of miles travelled
by road was 457.
Surra was of course found to bo the most important cause of mortality
by far in camels; I have seen it stated that Surra is a recent importation into
Sind from Hajputana, but I am quite certain that it has been in Sind for very
many years, probably hundreds. I worked chiefly with breeding-herds,
because when any diseased animals are found among them their movements
are easily traced ; one meets the most experienced camelmen with these herds
and can examine the latter without interfering with any work. I hardly met
a single Jat camelman of experience who did not know something about surra.
The zamindars in the riverain and delta country were well acquainted with
Horse-Surra also. Every year the camel breeders move their herds away from
the river or delta during the flood-season and take them where the biting flies
are few; fear of Surra is the real cause of this annual migration Some of
the men fear " dhang" (Tabanus), others think that mosquitoes are the
source of surra, and others consider the drinking of flood-water causes the
disease; but all recognise that the herds must be removed from the vicinity of
the flood areas during the flood season, if they are to escape from diseases.
When this precaution is neglected, heavy losses often occur, and yet no
report may reach the ears of the Tapadar. He confidently informs one that
there is no camel disease about, and then one may go four miles into the jungle
and find a camelman who has just lost scores of camels from surra.