Annual Reports.
Annual Administration Reports of the Bombay
Veterinary College and the Civil Veterinary
Department, including the Annual Adminis-
tration Report of the Glanders and Farcy
Department for the year 1914-15.
No. 11426.
REVENUE DEPARTMENT.
Bombay Castle, 28th October 1915.
Letter from the Principal, Bombay Veterinary College, No. 71-L., dated 5th June 1915—
Submitting the Annual Administration Report of the Glanders and Farcy Department
in Bombay for 1914-15.
Memorandum from the Commissioner in Sind, No. G.—290, dated 1st July 1915—Submit-
ting the Annual Administration Report of the Civil Veterinary Department in Sind for
the year 1914-15.
Letter * from the Director of Agriculture, No. A.—7607, dated 11th August 1915.
RESOLUTION.—The record of the Bombay Veterinary College as regards
internal administration shows a year of normal development. The number of
students attending the college was well maintained and the hostel was fuller than
before. The examination results were creditable, the percentage of passes being
slightly above that of the previous year. It is satisfactory to find that the
college roll contained a larger proportion of natives of the Bombay Presidency
than for many years past, and that sufficient candidates were at length available
from Sind to fill the complement of scholarships assigned to that province.
Perhaps the most notable feature of the year consisted in the extra duties which
were undertaken by the Principal and by other members of the staff in
connection with the war. The college authorities helped in the veterinary
supervision of animals found unfit for embarkation, some of which by the kindness
of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals were accommodated in the
Bái Sakarbái Dinshaw Petit Hospital. A large proportion of the students spent
their vacation in helping as dressers at the Hospital. Mr. Sowerby, then acting
as Principal, and the college staff also helped to deal with two serious outbreaks
of surra and glanders. Mr. Hewlett himself acted at the close of the year as
Embarkation Veterinary Officer in addition to his own duties. The Governor in
Council is pleased to acknowledge the value of the assistance thus rendered to
the military authorities and to commend the efficient working of the college in
conditions demanding unusual effort and self-sacrifice from all members of the
staff.
2. The Civil Veterinary Department under Major G. K. Walker, C.I.E.,
had to face a serious and widespread epidemic of rinderpest. The disease
appeared in all districts but one of the Presidency proper, Thána, Dhárwár and
Ahmednagar being the worst affected, and it accounted for 16,560 cases and
6,833 deaths compared with 4,644 cases and 2,103 deaths in the previous year.
In meeting these attacks the Department was fortunately not handicapped as in
the year before by deficiency in the supply of serum. Altogether 302 outbreaks
were visited and 54,223 inoculations or more than four times the previous number
were effected by the Veterinary staff. The results were satisfactory. Inoculation
was also used with success in an outbreak of hæmorrhagic septicæmia at the
Northcote Cattle Farm. Deaths from the latter disease increased in the
Presidency proper from practically 1,000 to 1,500 in the year, and there was also
a greater mortality among bovines from black quarter and anthrax and among
horses from glanders and surra. The number of deaths from contagious disease
of all kinds consequently shows a marked increase for the year from 3,930
to 9,203. The experiment of forming independent emergency corps, composed
* Not printed.
FER Rev 2838