Annual Report of the Civil Veterinary Department, Bengal,
for the year 1896-97.
I TOOK over charge of the Bengal Civil Veterinary Department on the
12th October 1896. The Puja holidays were being held, and the Assistant
Superintendent was on leave.
1. I was greatly pleased to find that the Bengal Veterinary Institution
was established in such a fine building, the grounds so well laid out, and the
whole establishment in such good order. To start a new thing and to bring it
to an advanced degree of organization is not an easy task; I beg therefore
to offer my congratulations to my predecessor, Veterinary Captain Gunn
and those who worked with him, for the good work performed in this direction.
2. I have now to report what has been done during my term at Bel-
gatchia.
BENGAL VETERINARY INSTITUTION.
3. The Curriculum.—The course of studies during the half-year which
I completed was that originally laid down by Captain Gunn, and was the
same as that in force during the year 1895-96.
4. Students.—Twenty-five
students attended lectures in Class A. Of
these, twenty-one were new men and four belonged to a batch of six which had
failed in the examination for promotion in 1895-96. The other two men did
not renew their studies. (Appendix I.)
5. Twenty-two students attended the lectures in Class B. Of these,
seventeen were successful students promoted from Class A, and five were men
that had been plucked at the final examination in March 1896. Two other
plucked students ceased to attend. (Appendix II.)
6. Of the twenty-two Class B men, nine passed the final examination in
March 1897. Five were rejected by the Board. 1 refused to allow eight
students to appear before the Examiners on account of their irregular attend-
ance at lectures, &c., under paragraph 12, page 5 of the rules. (Appendix III.)
7. This ruling had not been previously put in force, and the students,
notwithstanding repeated warnings, seemed to think it would not be insisted on.
8. Since then, the attendance in the infirmary wards, which formerly was
bad, has improved.
9. During his visit, the Assistant to the Inspector-General suggested that
the Board of Examiners should examine the junior students in future, as well as
the senior. After careful consideration, I am of opinion that the Board should
do so. For the more the progress we make is known, the better it will be
for the School. The result of the annual examination of class A is appended.
(Appendix IV.)
10. I was favourably impressed with the intelligence of the students; the
percentage of stupid men was very small. Their knowledge of English was
good, and they took notes of the lectures in that language, as I ascertained by
frequent inspection of their books. The junior students were well drilled in
bandaging and securing animals. The senior men were made to dress all the
cases and to do all the work connected with the treatment of patients, besides
assisting at operations. Moreover, they performed all the ordinary operations
on the dead subject, and also to a large extent (according to capacity) on the
living. I may say they showed promise in Surgery.
11. In the rudiments of Anatomy and Materia Medica, they were well up.
These were subjects in which we were able to give them plenty of practical
demonstrations. In the Points of the Horse, they have done well for the same
reason. In elementary Physiology, they have also done well, as it consists
chiefly of committing to memory certain data. I examined them myself occa-
sionally to see how they were progressing, and they appeared to understand what